disappearing : 07-Jvari Monastery, Georgia

Our grandchildren may never see Jvari. Jvari Monastery, or Monastery of the Cross, is a Georgian Orthodox monastery near the World Heritage site Mtskheta. In the fourth century a female evangelist St. Nino credited with covering the country to Christianity, stayed here to pray and erected a cross on Mtskheta's highest peak. A minor church of the Holy Cross was built in the second half of the 6th century, and a bigger church -the Great Church- was erected over the wooden cross between 586 and 605. The Great Church has a splendid interior and facades and is representative of the tetraconch architectural type that was popular not only in Georgia, but the whole region of South Caucaus. Actually it is considered as a model of many other churches. The importance of Jvari complex increased over time and attracted pilgrims from beyond Georgia’s borders.

Over the centuries the Jvari buildings have suffered damage from erosion (plus acid rain) and inadequate maintenance. The Small Church has no roof and the mosaics and frescoes that decorated its interiors have largely disappeared. The Centre for Architectural Heritage of Georgia has proposed conservation plan, but if the buildings are to survive as a meaningful relic of the early Christian movement in the region, then immediate action will be required.

I have never heard about Jvari, even all I know about Georgia was that that's origin of British singer Katie Melua, I'm sorry. So, when I saw the picture for the first time, honestly I thought it was just a old building. I never thought about the interior. I don't know if it is a good comparison, but it came in my mind that Alhambra is like that: from outside is like old brown building, but the interior is... I would like to visit this monastery since it has been difficult to find pictures of it. Well I guess Jvari isn't that famous and not many people are interested in. So let's improve our knowledge together. You know, it's funny because when I write this section, I often think about the relation between ignorance and sin.