Uraveli, Agara Monastery, Murals of the Church of St. John the Baptist
| Building: | Uraveli, Agara Monastery, Church of St. John the Baptist |
| Layer of the Murals: | One Layer |
| Date/Period: | 10th c. |
| Donor(s): | Unknown |
| Painter(s): | Unknown |
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Inscription(s)
of the Donor(s)
of the Painter(s)
Description
The fragments of plastering have survived on actually all the walls of the interior of the main church; however, frescos adorned only the chancel apse. The painting got sooted and damaged over centuries.
Chancel
Nothing has remained from the painting of the chancel conch.
Below the conch a row of niches – a total of eight – runs along the whole perimeter of the chancel; among them, in the center of the apse, is a small-size one with a high seat. Painting in the niches has been preserved fragmentarily. A half-figure of a saint martyr was depicted in the conch of each niche, and below – two figures of angels and prophets. The images are accompanied by asomtavruli inscriptions outlined in black paint; on the northern section of the chancel, in the conch of the second niche from the window St. Cyprian is depicted (Ⴜ(ႫႨႣႠ)Ⴢ ႩჃ(Ⴈ)ႮႰ(Ⴈ)|Ⴀ(Ⴌ)Ⴄ || ႫႶႣႤႪ|ႫႭႼႠႫႤ – Bishop-Martyr Saint Cyprian) with a closed book in the left hand. In the third niche one can read: [ႩႪႤ]ႫႤႬႲႭႱ – Klementos; in the fourth niche – ႫႠႲႧႤ – Matthews. Among the saints there are images of three crowned holy mothers of which two, according to iconographical features, could be St. Catherine and St. Barbara.
Bibliography
Giorgi Boch’oridze, Mogzauroba samtskhe-javakhet’shi [Journey to Samtskhe-Javakhet’i] (Tbilisi, 1992).
Asmat’ Ok’ropiridze, “Uravlis agaris monastris mt’avari tadzris mokhatuloba” [“Murals in the Main Church of Uraveli Agara Monastery”], in Valeri Asatiani ed., Akhaltsikhisa da tao-klarjet’is epark’ia [Diocese of Akhaltsikhe and Tao-Klarjeti] (Tbilisi, 2013), 558–61.
Asmat’ Ok’ropiridze, “Agaris monasteri. mkhatvroba” [“Agara Monastery. Murals”], Sak’art’velos mart’lmadidebeli eklesia. entsiklopedia [Georgian Orthodox Church. An Encyclopedia] I: 43–5.