Svetitskhoveli Cathedral

Orthodox Christian cathedral in Mtskheta, Georgia

The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (, svet'icxovlis sak'atedro t'adzari; literally the Cathedral of the Living Pillar) is an Orthodox Christian cathedral located in the historic town of Mtskheta, Georgia, to the northwest of the Georgian capital Tbilisi. A masterpiece of the Early and High Middle Ages, Svetitskhoveli is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It is currently the second largest church building in Georgia, after the Holy Trinity Cathedral. Known as the burial site of the claimed Christ's mantle, Svetitskhoveli has long been one of the principal Georgian Orthodox churches and is among the most venerated places of worship in the region. Throughout the centuries, the cathedral served as the burial place for kings. The present cross in square structure was completed between 1010 and 1029 by the medieval Georgian architect Arsukisdze, although the site itself dates back to the early fourth century. The exterior archature of the cathedral is a well preserved example of typical decorations of the 11th century. Svetitskhoveli is considered an endangered cultural landmark; it has survived a variety of adversities, and many of its priceless frescoes have been lost due to being whitewashed by the Russian Imperial authorities. It is considered one of the four Great Cathedrals of the Georgian Orthodox world.

The original church was built in 4th century AD during the reign of Mirian III of Kartli (Iberia). Saint Nino is said to have chosen the confluence of the Mtkvari (Kura) and Aragvi rivers as the place of the first Georgian church. According to Georgian hagiography, in the 1st century AD a Georgian Jew from Mtskheta named Elias was in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified. Elias bought Jesus’ robe from a Roman soldier at Golgotha and brought it back to Georgia. Returning to his native city, he was met by his sister Sidonia who, upon touching the Robe, immediately died from the emotions generated by the sacred object. The Robe could not be removed from her dead hands, so she was buried with it. The place where Sidonia is buried with the Robe is preserved in the cathedral. Later, from her grave grew an enormous cedar tree. Ordering the cedar be chopped down to build the church, St. Nino had seven columns made from it for the foundation. The seventh column, however, had supernatural properties and rose by itself into the air. It returned to earth after St. Nino prayed the whole night. It was further said that from the seventh column flowed a sacred liquid that cured people of all diseases. In Georgian sveti means "pillar" and tskhoveli means "life giving" or "living", hence the name of the cathedral. An icon portraying this event can be seen on the third column on the left hand from the entrance. Reproduced widely throughout Georgia, it shows Sidonia's corpse at the root of a cedar tree stump, with an angel lifting the column towards heaven. Saint Nino is in the foreground: King Mirian and his wife, Queen Nana, are to the right and left. Two high and deep niches of the eastern facade are in clear contrast with surrounding illuminated walls. Each window is surrounded by ornamental stripe and stylised peacock tail like decorations. Similar decorations are found in the upper parts of the eastern niches. A writing above the windows of eastern facade tell that the church was built by katolikos Melchisedek. Above it, two low reliefs, an eagle with open wings and a lion under it, are set to the south from the three more recent accessory windows under the roof. A large window occupies most of the western top side of the church. The decoration shows the Ascension of Jesus, with Christ sitting on the throne and two angels at the both sides. This triangle shaped decoration fits harmoniously with triangle of the cornice and an arch below it. The original sculpture on the wall has not survived, but was restored several times, most recently in the 19th century.