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Kashveti Church Kashveti Church is unique not only for its history and architecture, but also for its unique frescoes painted by one of the most famous Georgian painters - Lado Gudiashvili. History of Kashveti Already in the VI century the monk Davit Gareja built the first chapel on the site of the present Kashveti Church. Several centuries later, in 1753, the chapel was replaced by a larger church. It was donated by the princes Givi Amilakhvari and Iase Baratashvili. At that time, not only was the church built, but also a defensive wall with four residential and defence towers. The founder, Givi Amilakvari, integrated his house into the wall and it was so successful that special guests of the city were accommodated there. The church, the ramparts with the towers and the house are clearly visible in the sketches of the German architect Otto Jakob Simonson. At the end of the 19th century, a cannon was placed behind the church in Alexander Park (named after the Russian Tsar Alexander II) and every full hour of the day was marked by a shot from the cannon. Over the years, the vibrations caused by the cannon damaged the foundations and walls of the church to such an extent that in 1901 it was decided to demolish the old church and build a new one in its place. German Leopold Bielefeld and the Italian Eduard Andreoliti were commissioned as architects. The well-known Aghladze brothers were the stonemasons. The new church was donated by the Georgian entrepreneur and philanthropist Dawit Saradschischwili (the Georgian brandy "Saradschischwili" is also named after him). Ana Amilakhvari, Nino Tumanishvili, Barbara Lortkipanidze and many others also helped to finance the construction of the church. The church was completed in 1910 and was officially opened and consecrated to St George on 31 October. The priest and head of the church was the priest Kalistrate Tsintsadze until he became Patriarch of Georgia in 1932. Kashveti Church in the Soviet era In 1921, Georgia was occupied by the Red Army and subsequently incorporated into the Soviet Union. This was also the time when the persecution of the clergy and the destruction of churches began. The Kashveti Church was also to be blown up and baths were to be built in its place according to plan. The church escaped this terrible fate thanks to the great, almost heroic efforts of Kalistrate Tsintsadze, the church warden at the time. During the Second World War, Soviet policy towards churches and clergy in general became more moderate and Kashveti was no longer threatened with destruction. Special frescoes in the Kashveti Church It was not until 1947 that the Soviets allowed the painting of the Kashveti Church, and the Georgian Patriarch at the time gave this special commission to one of the most famous Georgian painters - Lado Gudiashvili. The painter worked for nine months, using only natural vegetable colours. During this time, Gudiashvili painted the altar and the back of the altar, but his work was interrupted when the authoritarian critics of the Soviet Union accused the painter of having a penchant for religion and of betraying communist ideology. He was no longer allowed to decorate the church, had to leave the Communist Party and was banned from continuing his work as a painter and teacher. Many years later he was allowed to continue his work in the Kavshveti Church, but at the age of 80 he was no longer able to carry out this physically demanding work, and to this day the church is only painted on the altar. Architecture of the church The Kashveti Church, designed by the German Leopold Bielefeld and the Italian Eduard Andreoliti, is a cross-domed church modelled on the Samtavisi Cathedral in the Kartli region. The stonemasons, the Agladze brothers, decorated the exterior of the church lavishly, but not too lavishly. Height of the church: 27.75 metres. Length - 23 metres. Width - 18.75 metres. Unusually for Georgian churches, Kashveti has two floors and both floors can be considered as separate churches in one building. The upper floor is the main church, dedicated to St George. The lower (underground) level was intended as a burial place for clergy and special parishioners. However, since the liturgy in the church had to be held in both Georgian and Russian, the lower part of the church was also consecrated, first to the Holy Spirit and, in 1947, to St Margaret of Antioch. It is also worth noting that the lower church was consecrated in 1909 and the upper one a year later. Relics of the church The following relics, among others, were kept in the Kashveti Church - Finger bones of St Eustathius from Mtskheta The name of the church The name of the church goes back to the VI century, to the legend of the missionary David, later known as David Gareja. Davit was one of thirteen Syrian priests who came to Georgia in the sixth century to strengthen the Christian faith there, at a time when part of the country was in Persian hands and Zoroastrianism had gained a strong foothold in the country. Davit quickly became popular with the people of Tbilisi and his Christian community grew rapidly. This was a thorn in the side of the Persian occupiers and they bribed a pregnant woman to claim she was pregnant by Davit. When David returned to his congregation in the city, he was greeted by an outraged crowd. Among them was the woman in question. Dawit said nothing, approached the woman, touched her belly with a stick and asked the foetus for its father's name, which it gave. Dawit did nothing more, but the punishment for slander followed immediately. The woman gave birth to a stone on the spot. Inspired by the miracle, the people took the stone and laid it as the foundation of the church, which they called Kwa-schweti, which means 'gave birth to a stone'. The name of the church is often spelled in different variations, such as Kwaschweti, Kaschueti and most commonly as Kashveti. Location of the church Kashveti Church is located on Rustaveli Street, opposite the Georgian parliament. |
