The Church of St. George of Ilori
Encyclopedia
The Church of St. George of Ilori is a Medieval, originally Georgian Orthodox Church in the village of Ilori
, Abkhazia
. The Church was built in the first quarter of the 11th century, AD, and represents one of the most important sites of western Georgian architecture
. It is also considered one of the more significant religious locations of Medieval western Georgia. The building has a single-nave design.
During its long history, the church underwent several important architectural modifications and was repaired by Levan II Dadiani
in the 17th century, only to be burnt down by Ottoman Turks
in 1736. The building was eventually restored again by the Princes of Odishi in the latter half of the same century.
On 9 February 2011, the Abkhazian government transferred the church into the perpetual care of the Abkhazian Orthodox Church
.
to intervene.
Demur Bzhania, head of the Abkhazian Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, declared that the church's Priest had not coordinated the reconstruction with his office, and admitted that the placement of the dome would have to be corrected. However, he defended the whitewashing of the walls, claiming that the interior had not been touched and that old photographs of the church's exterior did not show any Georgian inscriptions or murals. According to head of the Abkhazian Orthodox Church Vissarion Aplaa, the church did not originally have a dome, and its historic character had first been affected when Georgian authorities placed a Georgian-style dome on top of it during the 1940s and '50s. This dome had then collapsed during the 1992-1993 war Georgian-Abkhazian war, and now the local Priest had replaced it with a new dome to prevent water from entering the church.
The issue was also raised by the Georgian delegation at the 25th meeting for incident prevention in Chuburkhindji
on 22 February 2011, demanding a joint visit to the church. Viacheslav Chirikba, special envoy of the Abkhazian President, stated in the run-up to the meeting that Georgia had no authority to raise the issue, and that EUMM head Hansjörg Haber and UN special representative Antti Turunen
had had the opportunity during informal visits to convince themselves that the historic character of the church had not been compromised. The church was also visited by EU special representative Pierre Morel on 18 February.
Ilori
Ilori is a village in the Ochamchira District of Abkhazia, Georgia, located on the coast of the Black Sea. The elevation of the village is 10 meters above sea level. The location was first mentioned in the 11th century, AD. During the Middle Ages, Ilori became a part of the Principality of Odishi...
, Abkhazia
Abkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
. The Church was built in the first quarter of the 11th century, AD, and represents one of the most important sites of western Georgian architecture
Architecture of Georgia (country)
The Architecture of Georgia refers to a style of architecture found in Georgia.Georgian architecture is influenced by a number of architectural styles, including several each for castles, towers, fortifications and churches...
. It is also considered one of the more significant religious locations of Medieval western Georgia. The building has a single-nave design.
During its long history, the church underwent several important architectural modifications and was repaired by Levan II Dadiani
Dadiani
Dadiani was a Georgian family of nobles, dukes and princes, and a ruling dynasty of the western Georgian province of Samegrelo.- The House of Dadiani :...
in the 17th century, only to be burnt down by Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
in 1736. The building was eventually restored again by the Princes of Odishi in the latter half of the same century.
On 9 February 2011, the Abkhazian government transferred the church into the perpetual care of the Abkhazian Orthodox Church
Abkhazian Orthodox Church
The Abkhazian Orthodox Church is an Eastern Orthodox church outside the official Eastern Orthodox ecclesiastical hierarchy. It came into existence when the Sukhumi-Abkhazian Eparchy declared on 15 September 2009 that it no longer considered itself part of the Georgian Orthodox Church and that it...
.
2010 restoration controversy
In 2010, the church underwent restoration. According to the Georgian government, this resulted in severe damage to the church's historic character. It accused the Abkhazian government of plastering parts of the exterior and the interior of the church that featured Georgian inscriptions and frescos, and of replacing the Georgian-style dome by a Russian-style one. The Georgian government called on international conservation organisations and in particular UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
to intervene.
Demur Bzhania, head of the Abkhazian Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, declared that the church's Priest had not coordinated the reconstruction with his office, and admitted that the placement of the dome would have to be corrected. However, he defended the whitewashing of the walls, claiming that the interior had not been touched and that old photographs of the church's exterior did not show any Georgian inscriptions or murals. According to head of the Abkhazian Orthodox Church Vissarion Aplaa, the church did not originally have a dome, and its historic character had first been affected when Georgian authorities placed a Georgian-style dome on top of it during the 1940s and '50s. This dome had then collapsed during the 1992-1993 war Georgian-Abkhazian war, and now the local Priest had replaced it with a new dome to prevent water from entering the church.
The issue was also raised by the Georgian delegation at the 25th meeting for incident prevention in Chuburkhindji
Chuburkhindji
Chuburkhindji is a village in the Gali District of Abkhazia. As is the case in the rest of the district its population is almost exclusively Mingrelian .The village is the place of regular quadripartite meetings known informally...
on 22 February 2011, demanding a joint visit to the church. Viacheslav Chirikba, special envoy of the Abkhazian President, stated in the run-up to the meeting that Georgia had no authority to raise the issue, and that EUMM head Hansjörg Haber and UN special representative Antti Turunen
Antti Turunen
Antti Turunen is the head of the Finnish Foreign Ministry's Eastern European and Central Asian department.-Visit to Uzbekistan:Turunen led a European Union fact-finding mission to Tashkent, Uzbekistan on August 29, 2006...
had had the opportunity during informal visits to convince themselves that the historic character of the church had not been compromised. The church was also visited by EU special representative Pierre Morel on 18 February.