David Gareji Monastery
The history of Sagarejo is closely connected with the grand and completely special monastic complex of Gareji, that is why it also has a special place in this work:
Davit-Gareji rock monastery complex is located on the semi-desert slopes of Gareji mountain at a distance of 25 kilometers. According to literary sources, the first monastery in the Gareja Desert was founded in the first half of the 6th century by one of the 13 Assyrian fathers - David, who was later named Gareji. It is clear from the sources that the Assyrian fathers were at least 13 but not 17. The number 13 was symbolic _ 12 apostles and savior. They did not come at once, but came in groups, and it is confirmed that they were not even Assyrians, but Georgians who had difficulties in Assyria due to Orthodoxy. The territorial distribution of the activities of these missionaries and the location of the monasteries were not accidental at all, they had fully defined religious, cultural, economic, military-strategic and defensive purposes.
David originally settled in a natural cave in the mountains and established his first monastery there, which is now called "David's Lavra". Then he created the "Great Desert." He also built the monasteries of "Chichkhituri" and "Bertubni" near Gareji, to which at various times were added separate temples, refectories, residences of kings and princes, as well as fortifications of a defensive nature and spy towers. During the reign of David Garejeli, David's students founded two monastic branches: Dodo - "Dodos Horn", and Lucian - "Baptist."
The flourishing period of "Davit-Gareji" monastery is connected with the name of a great figure of the IX century - Ilarion Kartveli. He expanded and rebuilt the monastery marked by David - "David's Lavra", under his leadership arranged a terrace yard, built new rooms, a refectory and a church, dug canals and reservoirs in the rock. The only source that became a sacred relic was the Tears of David. (Remains of an ancient aqueduct used by monks have survived to the present day). Then Demeter, the son of David the Builder, continued this work. The 11th century monastery was invaded by the Turk-Seljuks, but its revival could not be stopped. During the same period, an art school was established, which existed for several centuries and brought up many famous artists. It was they who created a special style that is completely unique: Gareja Art School is distinguished from others by a new, free selection, understanding and different color of religious stories. The Gareji wall painting has preserved portraits of historical figures - in the "Baptist" of David the Builder, in the "Bertubani" of Queen Tamar and Lasha-George - in the "Bertubani", in the "Desert" of the devotee and other donors. In the XII century, under the leadership of Onofre Garesjeli, "Davit-Gareja" is an important cultural and educational center of Eastern Georgia. Thus, in the XI-XII centuries, the Gareji monastery complex reached the peak of its development. During the 13th century invasion of Temur-Leng, many monasteries were completely destroyed. The Mongols looted and burned everything, setting fire to manuscripts and works of art. The enemy completely destroyed "Bertubani", destroyed the monasteries of "Lavri", "Dodod Rki" and "Baptist", which shook the glory of Gareji. Only a century later, with the help of the inhabitants of Kartli and Kakheti, the revival of monastic life began, but feudal fragmentation did not allow for a complete revival. In the XV century "Gareji" was completely weakened, but with the efforts of King Alexander of Kakheti (1412-1442) he was able to gain strength again. In 1615, the hordes of Shah Abbas cut off the monks in one night, who heroically opposed countless enemies, and looted the monastery. The revival of the raided Gareja was started by King Teimuraz and Archil.
At the end of the 17th century, Otar Machutadze, an Eriskatsi of Gurian descent, was appointed governor of Gareji. Onofre restored and strengthened the Gareji Monastery. Through his forty years of service the lost lands and rights were restored to the monastery, fences were erected for defense, gates and refectories were built. The construction of the "Peter and Paul" church in Sagarejo and the construction of a fortress are also connected with his name. It was during this period that the famous lexicologist Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani (1698-1710) lived and worked in "Davit-Garej". From there he left for Khorasan in 1710, to Isfahan in 1712, to France and Rome in 1713, and returned to Georgia from Constantinople in 1717. From the XVIII century, the monastery is still in a difficult period: due to frequent invasions and the establishment of secular and religious schools in the cities of Georgia, the monastic development is hindered, and at the end of the XIX century only a few remain in baptism. Nor was the twentieth century a time of ascension for the Gareja complex. Explosions at a military training ground near it destroyed the remaining cultural heritage, disputed by neighboring Azerbaijanis.
Today, the issue of comprehensive study and protection-development of Gareji historical-cultural heritage was actually raised. Gareji Museum-Reserve has been established, the monastery is still operating, to enjoy the popularity of the public holiday "Garejoba", which is held every year in May.
Church of St. Peter and St. Paul built in the 17th century in Sagarejo
Peter and Paul Church is located in St. North-west of Sagarejo on the river. About 300-400 meters away from the right bank of the trail. No matter which side of the city you look at, it can be seen from all sides. Peter and Paul Church is surrounded on the northwest by a high mountain covered with forest, called the "Kiss". Residential areas hidden in orchards and vineyards from the east and south. Petre - every corner of Sagarejo is falling apart from Pavle as a beautiful panorama.
We find stingy information about the history of the church. It was built on Nadarbazev. At the time of its construction there was a dense settlement here, and then the population went down, to the plain on the river. Settled on the shores of Tvaltkhevi. There is currently a cemetery in a certain area around the church.
It is established that it was built in 1710-1712 by the head of the Davit-Gareji monasteries, the famous ecclesiastical figure Onofre Machutadze (1690-1736). We have little information about his personal biography. One of Levan Batonishvili's documents reveals that in secular life he was called Otar. By a decree of the ecclesiastical assembly in March 1690, Otar was baptized Onofred, and was ordained head of the Gareja monasteries. The date of death is 1733. (T. Jordania, "Historical Documents of Kartli-Kakheti Monasteries and Churches", p. 60) The place of burial is unknown. Older people point to his tomb on a stone to the north of Peter and Paul Church, which has an inscription with a list-Khutsuri. The circumstances of the time have erased and now it is decorated with only faintly noticeable ornament. The validity of the legend is also confirmed by the fact that in the years of his death the monasteries of Gareja suffered great attacks and atrocities. Probably, that is why Machutadze spent the last years of his life here, died here and was buried. Due to the hardships in the country, his remains could not be transported to the Davit-Gareji desert.
Onofre Machutadze was a highly educated and thoughtful person of his time. As we know, the purchase of lead became widespread in western Georgia in the 18th century. Gareji Monastery, under the direct leadership of Onofre Machutadze, will be involved in the fight against lead buying. He often rescued captives with his own funds and evicted them on the lands of the monastery (Vakhushti, Life of Georgia, II edition, Z. Chichinadze, Tbilisi, 1913, p. 103). During his leadership he showed great organizational talent, restored ruined monasteries, built many new buildings. In the first years of his leadership, he reclaimed the former slave lands of the David Gareji monasteries. Sagarejo estates gave him a large income, part of which was spent in the village. Tvale (d. Sagarejo) to build a church for his parish. In one Gujarat, which is dated to 1712, the merits of O. Machutadze did: "I erected a Peter-Paul chair in front of my eyes and adorned it with the cross of the honest, with weapons of holiness, clothes and books" (T. Jordania, ...)
The church is consecrated in the name of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. During the construction of the church, together with the Greek architects, Onofre Machutadze brought stonemasons, carving masters, carpenters and artists from different parts of Georgia. Through them he painted and decorated the newly built church with monastic inventory.
Peter - Paul is a hall-type, arched building with corners, cornices and door-window angles built of natal stone, the walls are mostly built of cobblestone. Its inner area is equal to 180 m2, and its outer area is 200 m2 with walls. The church was originally covered with Lomfier stone, its remains are still preserved in the church area. Currently the church has a tin roof. The church has two entrances: south and west. The west doors are located in the center of the wall. It is arched and decorated with precious carvings. The south door is to the west of the wall and is rectangular. He is also adorned with ornaments. Above it, there are probably images of saints and angels. Below it is a relief image of a vine.
In 1886 the church was visited by a Georgian teacher and public figure, the founder of the first school in Sagarejo, Al. Tskhvedadze, who through his disciples described in detail the condition of the church at that time. It is clear from these records that a portrait of Ktitor was depicted at the entrance to the south, which still exists today. The interior of the church is simply executed. On the long walls of the hall are 3 pairs of simple pilasters, which also end in capitals decorated with simple ornaments. The pilasters are supported by a semicircular arch triple arch, the chambers being built of brick. There are two pairs of windows between the pilasters. Windows are also installed in the east and west walls. Arched above the windows are pilasters, which are the only Persian elements in the whole architecture of the church. The floor of the church is covered with clean, rectangular bricks. Attached to the west wall are two arched vaults, which were probably intended for storing books. To the east of the church is usually
St. Peter and Paul's Church, specially designed for study in 1929. Visited by the greatest specialist of art history Prof. M. Chuminashvili and the condition of the church at that time reflected in detail in his research "Monasteries of David-Gareji Caves". According to the description at the time, the church was in good condition, although the cracks in the east and west walls were gradually increasing. And then there was the danger of the church collapsing. Lots of plants (including shrubs, trees) came out on the roof, it was raining inside. 1976 The church was restored, covered with a glazed roof.
According to the legend, there used to be a staircase on the right or left side of the church that led to the high ceiling of the church and it was removed during the communist era.
Currently, this church is functioning and has a father and a parish, it is restored from the inside and has an altar and icons.
Church of St. Shio
The small ravine in the district beyond Sagarejo is called Topeshaura. It originates from the slopes of Mount Elijah, then runs southeast and joins the track. St. Shio Church is located on the road from Ninotsminda. The inhabitants here were mainly Topeshashvilis.
St. Shio Church, as the name implies, was built by its founders in the name of one of the saints. Who was St. Shio? According to one of the hagiographic works, Shio was one of the thirteen Assyrian fathers who came to Georgia in the first half of the sixth century to strengthen and revive Christian doctrines. These Assyrian fathers were scattered in Kartli-Kakheti and settled for a meager life. According to the hagiographic data, these monks were brought to Georgia by the highly educated monk Ioane, who was later named after Ioane Zedazneli. His disciple Shio visited one of the barren and watery places of Kartli and stayed in the cave there. King Parsman was fascinated by the miraculous qualities of a monk and, thanks to him, built a large monastery near the cave, where 2,000 monks were working. When St. Shio died, he was canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church. Many churches were built to immortalize his name throughout Georgia. Two churches named after him have been built in Sagarejo. One in the bride, one in the outskirts. This church was built around the sixth-seventh centuries. Before the church of Peter and Paul was built, it was the main shrine.
Chief Martyr Church In Sagarejo
The Church of the Chief Martyr is located in st. North of Sagarejo, on the way to the old rock, through the Kvlivi-Kurkhuli cemetery. On the site of the church, in the middle of the rock, is built of cobblestone. The main martyr is a basilica of the pre-feudal era, more precisely, it belongs to the fourth-fifth centuries. The area around the Church of the Chief Martyr is a densely populated center of Tval-Sagarejo. The church was built after the entry of St. Nino into Georgia and the proclamation of Christianity as the state religion, and is consecrated in the name of St. George the Chief Martyr.
The chief martyr endured a number of enemy invasions, probably even rebuilt many times. It was last rebuilt in the fall of 2001 by residents of the Upper District at their own expense. The head of the initiative was Gia Nadirashvili. The roof of the church, on which trees had grown, was cleaned and repaired, tiled, and the walls collapsed.
"St. George of Tvaltavi"
In order to get information about the mentioned church, we organized a small excursion to visit this holy place of saints and to print it on photos, as well as to talk to the caretaker of the church, Lily Otarashvili.
Here is what the respondent told us.
"St. George of Sagarejo is a monument of the sixth century, it is a shrine and it is called Tvaltavi, before it its name was Sagarejo.
- Mrs. Lily, do you know whose name is associated with its founding?
- It was founded by the people.-
- What miracles happened in connection with the church of St. George?
- St. George is very powerful and he performs many miracles.
- Can you tell us about them?
- Of course, the biggest miracle was this:
A young man and woman came to church every day to pray, it lasted so long and I was curious when I asked them about it, the woman said: "As far as I know aunt, I have four girls and now I asked God to give me a boy too."
I seemed to raise my voice at that time and instinctively told the couple: "Do not be afraid, children, God will give you two sons", and a miracle happened ... Now this family has two children and is named after the Holy One.
- As far as we know, this source who performs miracles for the church, can you tell us something about it?
- - The nuns came here on Christmas Eve in the great winter. They bathed in this spring in terrible frost, but did not do anything right.
- - Mrs. Lily, we are very interested in what is on top and what is its purpose?
- - The top is called the vessel where the sacrificial wine is stored. It was opened only in the name of the saint in whose name it was conspired.
- - We also came across the niche of the Virgin Mary near St. George's Church, how was it built?
"Recently, only its ruins have survived from the niche. Once a boy said, 'God, I really want to restore this niche and God enable me to do it.' He did indeed bring stones for the niche restoration, but was unable to restore it due to lack of finances, then saw these stones and the niche of one rich man, inquired about him, and decided to help the boy. He really brought the material and restored the niche.
- Can you tell us about this healing land, which is at the foot of the church?
- One miracle happened in connection with the treatment of the land. One girl had a tumor on her lip, the doctors had planned to excise her, but the surgeon could not remove the deformity, did not operate, then the girl's mother went to the reader, she said: The land at the foot of the temple should be taken to a painful place and obeyed .. The family did exactly that and the girl was really healed.
- Thank you. It was a pleasure to talk to you.
Based on the material preserved among the people, we found out that it turns out that the name of this church derives from the fact that the head of St. George is buried in its territory.
Church of St. Dodo
St. Dodo Church is located in st. In Dodo district of Sagarejo, at the intersection of Baratashvili and Rustaveli streets.
The church was built in the 17th century on the site of a 6th century church. Brick is used as a material. It is not painted on the inside. Has a priestly house built by Father Joachim in the 70s of the XX century. St. is buried under the altar in the church. Sacred parts of Dodo Garejeli. The worthy Dodo Garejeli was originally from Kakheti, from the Andronikashvili family. Received from the depths of his monastic merit and composed of the service of Christ, he was adorned with all virtues. A monk who loved to live and work alone in Ninotsminda.
When Worthy Dodo heard the story of Father David Garejeli's miracles, he went to Garej. Worthy fathers greeted each other kindly and began to work side by side. After some time, Father David saw the religious fortitude of the worthy Dodo, liked the "sharpness within the god Dodo's mind" and gave the blessing to build the Senaks directly on the top of a rock and take his companions there. The brothers built the Senaki and started working. Then the number of Senaks exceeded two hundred. The worthy Dodo himself lay in one narrow crevice that could barely hold one man, and day and night, winter and summer, in heat and frost, cried out in tears to the Lord for the forgiveness of sins, the strengthening of the brethren, and the conversion of the country to the true law.
Once, Father David miraculously healed the betrayed son of the prince of Rustavi, Bubakar. The grateful chief provided the necessary items for the desert monks to the worthy father. St. David received a portion, the rest was worth sending to Dodo, and advised Bubacar to be baptized by his hand. Saint Dodo happily performed the sacrament of baptism and baptized Bubacar, his three sons, and all of Amala.
Village. In Sagarejo, the Dodo Church had a large shrine built on two and a half destinas, a large hotel in front of the church - a parking lot, a cellar, a bread barn, a cattle barn and a saddle. The whole farm was managed by the Dalbashvilis. They were also responsible for the care of the vineyards and orchards.
There is an opinion that an art school was opened in Dodo Church, which existed for several centuries and trained many well-skilled artists.
In the 14th century, Temur-Leng, along with other parts of Georgia, was raided and looted by Sagarejo. Among them was the church of Dodo, from which the riches of the church, golden candles, icon frames were taken out. The scriptures were burned and destroyed. These invasions deprived the Dodo Church of its ability to exist. The feudal lords took advantage of the situation, seizing the church lands. King Alexander of Kakheti regulated the right to use monastic lands.
During the Soviet era, the church operated under the anti-religious movement until the 1930s. It was later converted into a collective farm warehouse. In 1970 the church was returned to the Georgian Patriarchate and liturgy was resumed in Dodo Church.
In July 1978, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, visited Dodo Church.
Miracles are performed in the church. There are several Miron River icons. Myrrh is especially strong during fasting. In the middle of the XX century, in 1948-50, the church was restored by the priest Evagre Diasamidze. St. Dodo Garejeli Church is in operation. The day of commemoration of the worthy Dodo Garejeli is the Wednesday after the ascension (transitional).
Sagarejo Church of the Mother of God
Sagarejo Church of the Mother of God - an architectural monument in Sagarejo. Located in the other district, at the Fanozashvili cemetery. Belongs to the late Middle Ages.
The church is a hall, containing two building layers of different periods. The church has an entrance from the south. One window to the east and west. Both windows are rectangular, low. The outer opening of both is remodeled. In the apse, on either side of the window, there are two small niches, and below the window stands a four-sided altar.
There are cemetery stones around the church. In 2007-2008, the locals renovated the church, albeit with poor quality.
The ruins of the Sunday Church
Lashar-Cross Church
Lashari Cross - Church 2 km northwest of the city of Sagarejo. On the left bank of the river Tvaltkhevi. Dates back to the developed Middle Ages.
The church is a hall. It is built of large cobblestone. Shirim stone is used in the pile. The later updated parts of the outer corners are made of brick.
The church has an entrance from the south. The door is arched. To the east is a semicircular apse. An arched window is cut in the apse, with a small, rectangular niche on each side. There are similar windows in the west wall. There is a quadrangular altar in the sanctuary. The altar is covered with conch. The hall has a cylindrical arch.
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