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Zarzma Monastery Zarzma Monastery, also known as Zarzma, is another highlight of South Georgia. Visitors interested in medieval architecture, fresco painting and Georgian history will find much to discover here. Monastery complex 13th-14th century main church Various small churches and monuments: 1. Small Basilica built against the eastern wall of the main church A pit on the west wall of the bell tower, where there may have been a tunnel to the river. Other monastery buildings such as Monks' cells, refectory, etc. do not survive from the earlier period. History of Zarzma Monastery According to oral tradition, the monastery was founded in the 8th or 9th century, although some sources date it back to the 7th or even 6th century. However, according to officially verified written sources, the monastery's first church was not built until the 10th century. The monk Serapion Zarzmeli, whose life was described in the 10th century by the abbot of the Zarzma monastery, Basili Zarzmeli, is considered the founder of the monastery. The main founder of the monastery, Giorgi Khorchaneli, was a historically important figure for Georgia: Giorgi was childless and left half of his estate to the Zarzma Monastery and the other half to his widowed sister Latavra and her three children. It is interesting to note that Latavra's children became the founders of important princely families such as Jakeli and Khursidze. (Georgian princely names are often derived from the territory or fortress they owned). The Jakelis, for example, took their name from the fortress of Jaki, which was given to them by the king). Back to the history of the monastery The churches from the 10th century are no longer preserved, and what remained of the old church was inserted into the entrance arch of the new church at the end of the 13th century. An inscription on a stone in the old church tells of the military assistance given by the Georgian nobleman Davit Kuropalati to the Byzantine Emperor Basil II against the rebel general Bardas Skleros in 979. The heyday of the Zarzma monastery began at the end of the 13th century, when the Jakeli princes took power in the Samtskhe region. Prince Beqa Jakeli donated the construction of several churches in the region, including the main church and bell tower in Zarzma. From the beginning of the 16th century, the Zarzma monastery became the property of the Khursidze dynasty, and in 1577 the new princes thoroughly restored the monastery. They renewed the frescoes and the entrance portal and converted the first floor of the bell tower into the Church of St John the Apostle. In 1590, with the Treaty of Constantinople, the Samtskhe region was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire and all the monasteries in the region, including Zarzma, were closed. Valuable icons, crosses and other ecclesiastical artefacts, especially the most important church icon, the "Transfiguration of Jesus", were taken to safety in the Guria region. In Guria, in the village of Shemoqmedi, a new church was built especially for the shrine of Zarzma. Most of the original icons and crosses from Zarzma are now kept in the Tbilisi Art Museum. The region remained under Ottoman rule for almost 250 years, until 1828, during which time the neglected monuments of the Zarzma Monastery fell into disrepair. Under the Russian Tsarist Empire, Zarzma was not restored until 1905, when some elements of the unique architecture and frescoes were lost. The Zarzma Monastery today The monastery was reopened in 1990 and liturgies are held regularly. A total of 11 monks live in the monastery today and it is run by Archimandrite Nikoloz (Vladimer Getsadze). Singing monks of Zarzma The monks of Zarzma are famous for their polyphonic chanting. To experience the liturgy with the singing of the Zarzma church choir is something special. In 2006, the German director Thomas Schmidt made a short film about monastic life and the monks singing in the monastery, which can be watched for free on YouTube. Main Church of Zarzma The main church of the monastery was built at the end of the 13th or beginning of the 14th century and is dedicated to the Transfiguration of Jesus. It was completed during the lifetime of the founder of the monastery, Beqa Dschakeli (Beqa died in 1306). The main church is architecturally a cross-domed church with special elements, such as the entrance portal as an arcaded corridor from the south. The second entrance to the church is from the west. The different colours of the building blocks make the main church of Zarzma more cheerful and lively. The dome of the church, with 12 narrow windows, of which only 6 are real windows, also has different colours, making the fine stonework and decoration of the dome clearly visible from a distance. Very interesting is the eastern side of the church, with the large tree of life in the shape of a cross, whose arms reach almost to the end of the wall. Frescoes in the main church The church was decorated with frescoes as soon as it was built. In the 16th century, and again 400 years later, at the beginning of the 20th century, the church was restored, and as a result the frescoes lost their original charm and, above all, their unique palette, but the frescoes of Zarzma are still of great historical, cultural and religious importance. Here are a few examples to illustrate the historical significance of the Zarzma frescoes: On the south side, the founder of the church, Beqa Jakeli, is depicted with his father standing opposite him and his sons standing behind him. It is noteworthy that none of the founders is holding a model of the church, and one could assume that it was not the Jakelis who founded the church, but other people. The fresco dates from the 14th century. The northern side depicts the Imeretian king Bagrat III, who lived in the 16th century. In front of him stands an elderly gentleman in ecclesiastical garb, who is receiving a Bible testimony from the king. This elderly gentleman is the Bishop of Zarzma, Serapion Khursidze, who also lived in the 16th century. Behind him is the Grand Duke, Giorgi Chorchaneli, who lived in the 9th-10th century. These frescoes date from the 16th century and were donated by the Khursidze princes. It is clear that the princes wanted to use these paintings to emphasise the privileges they had received from the king for the church, but why did they have to include Prince Giorgi Kharchaneli from the 9th-10th centuries? The Khursids wanted to show that the ruler of the region was their ancestor and that they were his legitimate successors. It can be assumed that there was another painting underneath this fresco, which was only painted over in the 16th century. There are other frescoes in the church depicting historically important people, but the majority of the frescoes are dedicated to episodes from the New Testament. Bell tower of Zarzma The bell tower dates from the 13th to 14th century and the same-coloured stones were used for its construction as for the main church. However, the current appearance of the church dates back to 1577, when the lower part of the bell tower was added and converted into a church. During the conversion, the architect apparently tried to copy elements from the main church, such as the eastern façade, but this was not entirely successful. The artists from the 13th and 14th centuries were apparently far ahead of their colleagues from the 16th century. |
