The small town of Mtskheta, located half an hour from Tbilisi, is a special place for Georgia, for several centuries it was the capital of the Kingdom of Kartli. According to legend, the city was founded by the legendary Mtskhetos. Yes … yes, in those ancient times, any king became legendary, the local population had to make legends about someone. What any cultured person knows about Mtskheta, well, first of all, probably, from the poem of Mtsyri, Lermontov:
Jvari - and there is the same monastery, Aragvi and Kura, over the confluence of which it stands - are located in Mtskheta. Jvari is known not only for the story about the creation of "Mtsyri". For Georgians it is a holy place, because it was here that Nino, the Christian educator of Georgia, erected the cross and convinced the Georgians of the advantages of monotheism.
But today we will talk about a completely different object of the world cultural heritage, the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral.
Promotional video:
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
This place is permeated with a mystical aura up and down. Even if you are not a religious or mystical person, you will definitely feel a special spirit here, which is rather difficult to describe in words. The energy here is completely different and I felt it in my childhood, when I was here for the first time, and even thirty years later. Here the passage of time seems to stop and becomes barely perceptible. At the same time, you feel calm and peaceful. By the way, this is a good unloading for the brain. But let's go in order:
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral was built in the 11th century. Throughout its history, this temple has been the main cathedral of the whole of Georgia. Svetitskhoveli - translated from Georgian means the Life-Giving Pillar.
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. Mtskheta. Georgia.
Legends of the construction of Svetitskhoveli
Legend has it that Elioz, a resident of Mtskheta, according to one version, he was a rabbi of the Mtskheta community of Jews, according to another, he served as a soldier in Jerusalem and was present at the crucifixion of Jesus. This is written in the scriptures:
Rabbi Elioz bought these clothes or he got them by lot, probably it doesn't matter anymore. When Elioz returned home, he gave the Heaton to his sister Sidonia, who converted to Christianity. According to legend, as soon as Sidonia took the Lord's Chiton in her hands and pressed it to her chest, she immediately gave up her ghost. No matter how they tried to free Heaton from her hands, they could not, therefore, they buried her with him. A luxurious Lebanese cedar grew on the site of Sidonia's grave. The suffering ones came here and miracles happened to them, the sick were healed. The first Christian sovereign of Georgia, Mirian, decided to erect a church over the grave of Sidonia. The cedar was cut down and seven columns were cut out of it. Six columns were installed in the church, and the seventh hung in the air. No matter how they tried to lower it, nothing worked. Then Saint Nino,the enlightener of Georgia prayed all night and the Pillar, without touching a human hand, fell into place. This pillar streamed myrrh, and myrrh healed the sick. So the temple got its name Sveti-Tskhoveli Life-Giving Pillar.
The legend of the great master's right hand
There is another legend, the confirmation of which can be seen on the wall of the temple. This is the relief of a hand holding a square. The inscription reads - "Hand of the servant of God Arsukidze. Remember. " According to legend, the teacher of the great architect envied the success of his student and slandered him, for which his right hand was cut off. According to the second legend, the hand was chopped off at the behest of the king, so that the architect could no longer build the same magnificent temple. This is described in the book "The Right Hand of the Great Master" by the Georgian classic Konstantine Gamsakhurdia.
Artifacts of Svetitskhoveli
- supporting pillars - of the temple, there are now 8 of them, one of the pillars (Life-giving) is surrounded by a stone tent
- frescoes - many plots tell the story of the pillar, there are also mysterious frescoes that represent a strange visualization of some biblical phrases;
- necropolis where Georgian kings are buried
- the cape of the prophet Elijah - it is believed that it is kept behind the altar;
- baptismal font, there is an assumption that King Mirian, the first Christian king of Georgia, was baptized in it;
- a particle of the "True Cross", the one on which Christ was crucified
Svetitskhoveli mysticism
There is so much mystical and inexplicable in Svetitskhoveli, for example, the astrological wheel of saints, that it is hardly compatible with Christianity.
Zodiac, astrological circle.
There are many secret rooms and passages in the temple, where tourists are not allowed. I was lucky enough to visit some of them, to give a rational explanation of which, I can hardly give, except that the temple was rebuilt and completed several times.
Unusually for the Orthodox tradition, Saint Christopher is depicted with the head of an animal.
Saint Christopher on the walls of Svetitskhoveli.
Some of the murals contain images of manned aircraft. Moreover, the variety of aircraft never ceases to amaze. Aircrafts are even depicted on icons.
Aircraft on the icon in Svetitskhoveli.
I highly recommend visiting this unusual place in Georgia on your own.
