St. Kvirike and St. Ivlita Church of Kala - Lagurka

Church of St. Kvirike and St. Ivlita of Kala, also called Lagurka, is a place of pilgrimage and the most important church in Svaneti.

There are more than a thousand sacred buildings in Svanetia and the Meshes have great respect for all of them, but Lagurka in the locality of Kala has gained a special status over the centuries and it is a must among the Swans to have been there at least once.

Location

The church is located in Upper Svaneti, in the village of Kala, on the left bank of the Enguri River, at an altitude of 1,870 metres above sea level.

The name

The church is dedicated to and named after the martyrs of the Roman Empire, St. Kwirike (Quiricus) and his mother, St. Iwlita (Julitta).

In Svanetian, however, the church is called Lagurka for short. It is often referred to as the Church of Kvirike.

Year of construction

According to the architecture and building style, the church belongs to the 10th-11th centuries, and as the fresco is dated 1112, it is assumed that it was built at the end of the 11th century at the latest.

Special significance of Kvirike Church

The church houses valuable icons of Kvirike and Ivlita from the 10th and 11th centuries. These icons are of great religious, material, historical and cultural importance to the whole of the civilised world, as there are not many millennium-old icons of such high artistic quality. For Swans, however, they also have a very great traditional value, rooted in the centuries.

There are several churches in the region where traditional trials have taken place and the truth has been established by swearing on the icon. The most important disputes and ambiguities of Upper and Lower Svaneti were settled in the church of Lagurka, and the special significance of the icons from the church of Lagurka was recognised by every Svaneti, regardless of which valley they came from.

Why are these precious icons here?

Below the church of Lagurka there is a small village called "Lalchori", which means "meeting place", and since time immemorial the elders of the villages and valleys have gathered here to discuss the most important issues of the whole region. When they made a decision, they had to swear on an icon that they would abide by it. When the first valuable icon of St Kwirike and St Iwilita appeared, it was brought to this place and a church was built in its honour.

The location, on a rocky outcrop, was chosen to protect the church and its treasures.

The frescoes of the church

The frescoes of the church are no less important than the icons, since they were painted during the reign of King David the Builder in 1112 by the royal court painter Thewdore. It seems that the greatest Georgian king appreciated the special significance of the Lagurka church.

Religious festival with archaic elements "Kvirikoba

Every year on the 28th of July, the day of the martyrdom of St. Kwirike and St. Ivlita, the Lagurka Church celebrates the religious festival "Kvirikoba" in memory of the martyrs. This is the most important religious festival in Svaneti, and many people come to the church, especially Swans from all over the country.

On this day a special liturgy is held in the church for the martyrs. During the liturgy, people gather around the church and pray together.

It's also the experts who take care of the logistics, because most people have travelled a long way and you don't want to send them home on an empty stomach - after all, this is Georgia. It's a day when we see many old acquaintances and friends we haven't seen in a long time, and we'd like to spend more time with them. In any case, a feast is prepared for hundreds of people, but not everything is done in the church; most of the faithful bring something with them and everything is spread out on the tables.   

According to the Svan rite, on this day a bull, or better two, must be slaughtered, preferably with white paint, and boiled in huge pots.

When the liturgy is over and the table is set, the food and those present are blessed by the clergy and a solemn communion with the priest and the whole congregation takes place. Of course, no toasts with Georgian wine or Svanetian raki are allowed during communion.

When the obligatory part of the communion is over, the fun part of the celebration begins. Various national instruments are played and there is a lot of singing and dancing. Those who are not very artistic can also offer something to the audience. On the church grounds there is a large egg-shaped stone that you have to pick up and throw over your shoulder. This will determine the strongest man in the area, who will be allowed to carry the title of "Winner of Kvirikoba" until next year.

There is also a huge bell that is used to determine the strongest man in the community. You have to carry the bell on your shoulder and ring it several times.

Architecture of the church

It measures 5 x 2.70 metres.

The church was built with yellow sandstone ashlars and is architecturally a 10th-11th century basilica. Larger southern and smaller northern annexes were added to the church much later. The two-storey bell tower on the west side, which also serves as a narthex, was also added to the church later. Originally it was possible to enter the central part of the church from the western, southern and northern parts, but the main entrance is now through the southern extension. The bell tower on the west side also has a door.

The church was surrounded by a high defensive wall, of which only a small part remains. On the church grounds, there is a refectory, several utility rooms and living quarters for the priest and church guests.

Frescoes

As mentioned above, the church was frescoed under King Dawit the Builder in 1112 by the royal court painter Tewdore. Information about the date of the painting and the painter is given by the inscription on the west side of the church.

On the east side there is Deesis, Jesus with Mary and John the Baptist. On the columns in front of the iconostasis are St. Stephanos, St. Kwirike, St. Ivlita and St. Christina.

The southern side depicts the killing of little Kvirike and the beheading of his mother Ivlita. In the upper register there is an angel and Georgian script in which one can read the names of the saints, the exact date of their martyrdom and a small prayer for their souls. 

On the west side there are figures of 4 saints in 2 registers. In the upper register: Kwirike and Iwlita and in the lower register: Barbara and Catherine.

Under the vaults are four different scenes from the New Testament: The birth of Jesus, the baptism by John the Baptist, the crucifixion of Jesus and the descent of Christ into the underworld.

Interesting to know

For a long time, Lagurka was a convent where nuns from noble families lived. At the beginning of the 18th century, Tekla, daughter of the West Georgian King Bagrat, was a nun here.

Special icon of Shaliani surrounded by legends

According to legend, sometime in the 10th century, the West Georgian king had a job to do and needed 100 men to do it. The swan called "Shaliani" told the king that he would do the job alone, in the same time as 100 men. Shaliani completed the task on time and was rewarded by the king with a valuable icon, which he took back to Svaneti. But not knowing which church to take the icon to, they tied it to bulls and asked them to point out the place. The bulls were taken to the place above Kala, where the church was later built.

The icon of Shaliani is still in the church of Kvirike, along with other valuable icons, and they are brought out for the faithful during the "Kvirikoba" festival.

The surroundings of Lagurka as a sacred place

The trees, forest and nature around the church are also considered sacred by the Swans and no one dares to cut a small branch there.