Tetri Giorgi
Encyclopedia
Tetri Giorgi is one of the local names of Christian
Saint George
in Georgia
, specifically in the country’s northeastern highland districts. The popularity of the cult led to establishment of Tetri Giorgi as a national symbol, part of Georgia's coat of arms
in the years 1918-1921 and 1991-2004. The name of Tetri Giorgi has also been adopted by several political and non-political organizations, significantly by anti-Soviet Georgian émigré group in Europe
and the 1990s paramilitary unit.
of Georgia and a pagan moon deity, which, in Georgian folk tradition, represents the male principle. The Tetri Giorgi holiday ("tetrigiorgoba") was once marked annually on August 14, when many pilgrims from the eastern Georgian provinces attended an overnight feast at the saint's chief shrine – a 14th-century Orthodox Christian church overlooking the village Atsquri in what is now Akhmeta Municipality, Kakheti
.
– newly independent from Russia – chose the equestrian depiction of Tetri Giorgi as a centerpiece of its coat of arms
. But the image was rendered more secular as its Christian symbolism was disfavored by Georgia's Social-Democratic government
, recalls Revaz Gabashvili
, a critic of the contemporary Georgian government. This coat of arms was in use until Soviet takeover
in 1921 and again in post-Soviet Georgia from 1991 to 2004.
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
Saint George
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
in Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, specifically in the country’s northeastern highland districts. The popularity of the cult led to establishment of Tetri Giorgi as a national symbol, part of Georgia's coat of arms
Coat of arms of Georgia (country)
The coat of arms of the Republic of Georgia was adopted on 1 October 2004. It is partially based on the medieval arms of the Georgian royal house of Bagrationi....
in the years 1918-1921 and 1991-2004. The name of Tetri Giorgi has also been adopted by several political and non-political organizations, significantly by anti-Soviet Georgian émigré group in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the 1990s paramilitary unit.
Cult
The cult of Tetri Giorgi is syncretic, being a combination of Christian patron saintPatron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Georgia and a pagan moon deity, which, in Georgian folk tradition, represents the male principle. The Tetri Giorgi holiday ("tetrigiorgoba") was once marked annually on August 14, when many pilgrims from the eastern Georgian provinces attended an overnight feast at the saint's chief shrine – a 14th-century Orthodox Christian church overlooking the village Atsquri in what is now Akhmeta Municipality, Kakheti
Kakheti
Kakheti is a historical province in Eastern Georgia inhabited by Kakhetians who speak a local dialect of Georgian. It is bordered by the small mountainous province of Tusheti and the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north, Russian Federation to the Northeast, Azerbaijan to the Southeast, and...
.
In heraldry
In May 1918, GeorgiaDemocratic Republic of Georgia
The Democratic Republic of Georgia , 1918–1921, was the first modern establishment of a Republic of Georgia.The DRG was created after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917...
– newly independent from Russia – chose the equestrian depiction of Tetri Giorgi as a centerpiece of its coat of arms
Coat of arms of Georgia (country)
The coat of arms of the Republic of Georgia was adopted on 1 October 2004. It is partially based on the medieval arms of the Georgian royal house of Bagrationi....
. But the image was rendered more secular as its Christian symbolism was disfavored by Georgia's Social-Democratic government
Georgian Social Democratic (Menshevik) Party
200px|thumb|Menshevik Flag of Georgia, created by Iakob NikoladzeThe Social Democratic Labour Party of Georgia was a political party in Georgia. It was founded as the Georgian branch of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party separated itself from the Russian mother-party.The party dominated...
, recalls Revaz Gabashvili
Revaz Gabashvili
Revaz Gabashvili was a Georgian politician and writer involved in the independence movement and revolutionary journalism in the early 20th century....
, a critic of the contemporary Georgian government. This coat of arms was in use until Soviet takeover
Red Army invasion of Georgia
The Red Army invasion of Georgia also known as the Soviet–Georgian War or the Soviet invasion of Georgia was a military campaign by the Soviet Russian Red Army against the Democratic Republic of Georgia aimed at overthrowing the Social-Democratic government and installing the Bolshevik regime...
in 1921 and again in post-Soviet Georgia from 1991 to 2004.