Nikortsminda

Nikortsminda is certainly one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Georgia. It is over a thousand years old and the church has hardly changed its original appearance, which is a rarity in Georgia. The special feature of the church is the decoration of the facade, which represents the pinnacle of Georgian stonemasonry. The figures and ornaments are carved into the stone with a meticulousness and care that has little to do with the strict asceticism of earlier Christian centuries.

But it is not only the facades that make Nikorzmimda Cathedral so special, it is also the rich 16th and 17th century frescoes and its fantastic location in the Great Caucasus.

Location of Nikortsminda

Nikortsminda Cathedral is located in the village of the same name in the Racha region, 60 kilometres north-east of Kutaisi.

The name

The name is composed of two words: "Niko" and "Tsminda". The word "Niko" refers to St Nicholas, to whom the cathedral is dedicated, and "Tsminda" means "holy" in Georgian.

The name is also associated with "Nikora", a type of bull, and the bull cult practised in Georgia in the past, but this is only based on oral tradition.

History of Nikortsminda

At the beginning of the 11th century, when the cathedral of Nikortsminda was built, the unification of Georgia was slowly coming to an end and Bagrat III (978 - 1014) became king of the unified Georgia. As a symbol of the unification of the country and a sign of a new beginning, large cathedrals began to be built throughout Georgia during his reign. For example, Bagrati in Kutaisi (990 - 1003), Sveti-Zhoveli in Mtskheta (1010 - 1029), Alaverdi in Kakheti (1010 - 1037) and Nikortsminda in the Rakha region (1010 - 1014).

Immediately after its construction, Nikortsminda became the seat of the archbishop of the Rakha region and has retained this status, with brief interruptions, to the present day.

The cathedral and the entire region of Racha in which it is located are protected on all sides by mountains and in earlier times bordered only on Georgian regions or Georgian principalities.

Moreover, the princes of the region have generally pursued a balanced policy towards their neighbours, and there has been little unrest within the principality. All this contributed to the fact that the region was rarely attacked by aggressive invaders and the cathedral was spared.

Although Nikortsminda was never seriously damaged, it needed restoration after several centuries, and such restoration work was carried out by the West Georgian king Bagrat III in the 16th century (not the same Bagrat, of course, who donated the cathedral in the 11th century). In the 16th century, the interior was also frescoed, but in the 17th century, when the noble Zulukidze family came to power in the Rakha region, the church was painted again. 

In the 18th century the church was visited by several foreign diplomats, including Russian ambassadors. The ambassadors also recorded their enthusiasm for the church in detail. They mentioned the defensive wall next to the church, but little remains of it today.

In 1821, after Georgia became part of the Russian Empire, the bishopric of Nikortsminda was abolished. Between 1918-1920, during Georgia's independence from Tsarist Russia, the cathedral functioned as a bishopric, but after the Bolsheviks came to power in 1921, the church was completely closed.

In 1991, following Georgia's renewed independence, this time from the Soviet Union, Nikortsminda became a diocese of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Architecture, facades and interior

Architecturally, Nikortsminda is a cross-domed church with a narrow structure and a wide and high dome with 12 richly decorated narrow windows, but with its five apses and rectangular vestibule, Nikortsminda differs from most cross-domed churches in the country. 

The narthex on the west side and small prayer rooms on the south side were added to the church in the first half of the 11th century, but not until a few years later, after the cathedral was completed.

Exterior facades 

The eastern façade of the church depicts the Transfiguration of Christ with the prophets Elijah and Moses on either side, and St Peter, St John and St James in the lower row. In the gable, St George triumphs over the persecutor of Christians, the Emperor Diocletian, and St Theodore (Tiro), St George's brother, is depicted as a dragon slayer.

The two saints, St George and St Theodore, appear again in the tympanum of the west portal, flanking Jesus Christ. The gable relief on the west side also depicts Jesus as the Judge of the World, which is complemented on the south façade by the return of Jesus at the Last Judgement, announced by the angels.

The tympanum of the west doorway also depicts the Triumph of Jesus as the Exaltation of the Cross.

There are relatively few figures on the northern façade, with only a relief of the archangels Michael and Gabriel. The western and eastern portals, the northern doorway and the windows are decorated with mouldings that combine animal motifs with Christian scenes.

The strapwork of the dome takes up the motifs of the decorations with lions, griffins, winged horses, etc. They are a relic of pre-Christian times. They are a relic of pre-Christian times, when animal worship was part of people's daily lives.

Interior

The entire interior is decorated with frescoes from the 16th and 17th centuries. The frescoes and inscriptions also tell us about the founders of the church, princes of the region and their families, as part of the frescoes are dedicated to these secular scenes.

Most of the frescoes in Nikortsminda depict scenes from the New Testament, from the Annunciation and the Nativity to the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. The church also has a detailed and very specific representation of the Last Judgement with hell, the devil and sinners.

The 17th century frescoes were donated by the noble Zulukidze family, whose members are also immortalised in the frescoes.

The inscription on the interior walls also mentions the 11th-century King of Georgia Bagrat III and the noble Kakhaberidze family, who ruled the region until the 13th century.

Restoration work in 2012 revealed 16th-century frescoes, but it is believed that the lower layers of the frescoes may contain even older paintings from the 11th and 12th centuries.

Bell Tower

The three-storey bell tower, built from well-cut sandstone blocks, dates from the second half of the 19th century.

Interesting to know

The Cathedral of Nikortsminda was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007.

In the 20th century, one of the most popular Georgian poets, Galaktion Tabidze, dedicated the poem "In Praise of Nikortsminda" (ქებათა ქება ნიკორწმინდას) to the cathedral. The poet describes the beauty of the cathedral very accurately, but he has never seen the church or a photograph of it.