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Anchiskhati Basilica Anchiskhati Basilica is the oldest church in Tbilisi and almost as old as the capital of Georgia itself. History of Anchiskhati The Anchiskhati Basilica is the oldest sacred building in Tbilisi. It was built at the beginning of the VI century by the son of King Vakhtang Gorgasali - Dachi Ujarmeli - and consecrated to the Virgin Mary. The Basilica of Anchiskhati has been restored and rebuilt several times, but the current building is largely the same as the old one. The church was damaged as early as the VII century, after the city was conquered by the Khazars, but was soon restored. During the Arab rule in Tbilisi from the VIIth to the XIth century, the Anchiskhati Basilica was called the Bell Church (Zaris Eklesia), as it was the only sacred building whose bells continued to ring under Arab rule. In 1755, King Irakli II had a theological school built next to the church, where subjects such as grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, physics and philosophy were taught alongside theology and religious history. A common teaching method in this school was the question and answer method. The Anchiskhati school was often visited by King Irakli and the best students were honoured by him personally. The school existed until the invasion of the Persian Shah Agha Mohammed Khan in 1795. In the same year the church was badly damaged and was not rebuilt until the beginning of the XIX century. In 1814, Anchiskhati was repainted with frescoes and a dome (not matching the church) was added. In 1958-64 the church was restored. The XIX century frescoes and the dome were removed. As a result, the old frescoes reappeared and the church was restored to its original architecture. Name of the church The name Anchiskhati comes from the two words Antschi and Chati: Antschi is a village in southern Georgia (now in Turkey) and Chati means icon in German. So the name means something like Icon of the village of Antschi. Special icon of the church This is the "not man-made icon" of Jesus Christ. The icon was brought from Constantinople to Antschi for safety during the Byzantine iconoclastic controversy (from the VIII to the IX century). Later, in the XII. Later, in the XII century, Queen Tamar commissioned the famous goldsmith Beqa Opizari to decorate the icon with precious stones and set it in a golden frame. The mission was a great success and the icon was brought to Tbilisi. It was also at this time that the church was given the name of Anchiskhati. In brief: - After its construction in the VI century the church was consecrated to the Virgin Mary and was also called the Church of the Virgin Mary. - In the VII century the church was given the name of the Church of the Bells (Zaris Eklesia). - In the XII. In the XII century, after the precious "not made by man" icon of Jesus Christ was brought to the church from the village of Antchi, the church was renamed Anchiskhati. Where is the icon today? The icon is kept in the Tbilisi Art Museum. Address of the museum: Tbilisi, 4 Pushkin Street Interior and frescoes of Anchiskhati Patriarch Evdimon Diasamidze is buried in the north-west side of the church. He was murdered by Rostom Khan (King Rostom) in the XVII century and thrown into the Kura River. Clergymen later recovered his body from the river and buried it in the Anchiskhati church. In 2001 his tomb was renovated and since then an oil lamp burns there in eternal flame. The oldest preserved fresco, from the XIV century, is above the altar. It shows a family tree with biblical scenes, but the members of the Bagrationi royal family are depicted on the branches of the tree. Below the tree is Jesse, the father of King and Prophet David. In the centre is the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus, who can be seen above the tree. The fresco is also known as the Family Tree of Jesus, and the depiction of the Bagrationis on the branches clearly emphasises their biblical origins. The church also has the following frescoes from the XVII and XVIII centuries. Century: a) South of the Syrian priest Anton Martomkopeli b) Gates of the city of Edessa (today Urfa in Turkey) and above the gates the image of Christ of Edessa. c) To the north is the Apostle Thaddeus and his visit to King Abgar. d) Also to the north are the Annunciation, the Presentation and the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. The architecture Anchiskhati is a three-nave basilica built in yellow tuff. The restored part of the façade and the wide supporting pillars inside date from the XVII century and are made of brick. The church has three entrances: from the west, south and north. In the centre is the altar, facing east, with 2 side rooms to the left and right. On the left is the space for the proscomidia. In Orthodox churches, proscomidia refers to the preparatory acts before the actual service (the celebration of the Eucharist in the form of the Divine Liturgy). The proskomidia is similar to the offertory in the Western Church. On the right is the sacristy (the room where the priests and altar servers change and where the items necessary for the service are kept, such as liturgical vestments, paraments, liturgical equipment: chalices, chalices, candlesticks, liturgical books, hosts, wine and candles). Bell tower The 2-storey brick entrance building is the bell tower of the church and was built in the XVIII century by Patriarch Domentius. It was built in the XVIII century by Patriarch Domentius. Below the bell tower is the entrance staircase to the churchyard, and to the left and right of the staircase are small rooms in the bell tower for the guards. There is another room on the second floor of the bell tower. Popular festival Every year on 29 August, a popular festival is held in honour of Anchiskhati. This is the day when the "non-man-made" icon of Jesus arrived in Georgia. Location of the church The Basilica of St. Anchiskhati is located in the historical part of the Old Town, in the Upper Kala neighbourhood, on Shavteli Street. On following trip, you will visit Anschiskhati |
