About the Project

 

 

 

The study of Georgian monumental painting has a decades-long path. Amidst this period it has become available to determine, discuss, and arrange the aspects of the chronology of murals, artistic style, local painting schools, etc. The abundance of the published and studied material and the major interest towards it naturally rises the idea to compile a Corpus of old Georgian monumental painting.

The project “Georgian Monumental Painting – Electronic Database” aims to gather most of the available information about the monuments of old Georgian murals and to present them fully and completely. Moreover, this project intends to make medieval Georgian frescoes accessible to local and international scholars and anyone interested in Georgian culture. This multiyear project is planned to be organised in four phases, using a chronological approach: a. 5th-6th–11th centuries; b. 12th–13th centuries; c. 14th–15th centuries; d. 16th–18th centuries.

The first phase of the project was supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport of Georgia as part of its grant scheme “Support to the Cultural Programmes”. The project aimed at collecting textual and visual information about the monuments of Georgian wall painting of the 7th-11th centuries into a Georgian-English electronic database and publishing it on the project website.

At this stage of the project implementation, it was decided to include to the list of monuments only those paintings, which have been studied before or which are known through some materials and data available to date. Those monuments which fall to the chronological spell of the project but were not recorded or studied, are not included in the list. The Project web page remains open and interactive and, therefore, it will be constantly updated with new materials and observations from future researches on well-known as well as obscure monuments.

Academic and popular website of Georgian monumental painting is aimed not only for the specialists and students but for anyone interested in Georgian culture. It is hoped that the Electronic Database of Georgian Monumental Painting will put a foundation for the extended multivolume printed corpus of the monuments.

This project is organized and implemented by the Institute of Art History and Theory of the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University and the Centre of Georgian Art Research at the Institute.

 

 

Photographic Credits

Giorgi Bagrationi – Iskhani Cathedral of Holy Apostles; Church of the Holy Cross in Mtskheta; Nino Bagrationi – Ertso Sioni; Julia Benidze – Q’varsha Church; Neli Chakvetadze – Benisi Church of St. George; Kumurdo Cathedral of the Virgin; Kataula Church of St. George; Laghami Church of Savior; Manglisi Sioni Cathedral; Minor Church of the Holy Cross in Mtskheta; Zhaleti Church of St. George; Main Church of Agara Monastery in Uraveli; Pia Church of St. Theodore; Q’varsha Church; Chvabiani Church of Savior; Small Chapel in the Monastery of Tsamebuli at the Gareja Desert; Khakhuli Cathedral of the Virgin; Nino Chikhladze – Zemo Krikhi Church of Holy Archangels; Tsromi Church of Savior; Tengiz Gabunia – Kemerti Church of St. George; Ketevan Gongadze – Zemo Krikhi Church of Holy Archangels; Mravaldzali Church of St. George; Church of the Virgin in Udabno Monastery at the Gareja Desert; Refectory of Udabno Monastery at the Gareja Desert; Irakli Tezelashvili – Church of Resurrection in Old Shuamta Monastery; Tbeti Cathedral of Holy Apostles; Tamar Letodiani – Akhiza Cahtedral; Adishi Church of St. George; Burial Church of St. Dodo in the Monastery of St. Dodo at the Gareja desert; Zemo Krikhi Church of Holy Archangels; Iskhani Cathedral of Holy Apostles; Zhibiani Church of the Virgin; Manglisi Sioni Cathedral; Church of the Virgin in Mravaltsq’aro Monastery at the Gareja Desert; Main Church of the Lavra of Otkhta Eklesia; Church of St. John the Baptist in the Lavra of Oshki; Parkhali Church of St. John the Baptist; Church №5 in Sabereebi Monastery at the Gareja Desert; Church №6 in Sabereebi Monastery at the Gareja Desert; Church №7 in Sabereebi Monastrery at the Gareja Desert; Church №8 in Sabereebi Monastery at the Gareja Desert; Tbeti Cathedral of Holy Apostles; Pavnisi Church of St. George; Khakhuli Cathedral of the Virgin; Giorgi Magradze – Gostibe Church of Holy Trinity; Salome Meladze – Adishi Church of St. George; Armazi Church of St. George; Ateni Sioni; Atsi Church of Holy Archangels; Gostibe Church of Holy Trinity; Iprari Church of Holy Archangels; Ipkhi Church of Holy Archangels; Zhibiani Church of the Virgin; Laghami Church of Savior; Nakipari Church of St. George; Nesguni Church of Savior; Svipi Church of St. George; Pavnisi Church of St. George; Kurashi Church of St. George; Chvabiani Church of Savior; Tsirkoli Church of the Virgin; Kukuri Metreveli – Dumeila Church of the Virgin; Dragos Gh. Nastasoiu – Church of the Holy Cross in Mtskheta; Irina Paichadze – Kumurdo Cathedral of the Virgin; Church of the Virgin in Mravaltsq’aro monastery at the Gareja Desert; Giorgi Patashuri – Laghami Church of Savior; Zaza Skhirtladze – Ateni Sioni, Bertubani Martyrium at the Gareja Desert; Ertso Sioni; Tetri Udabno Church at the Gareja Desert; Telovani Church of Holy Cross; Iskhani Church of the Virgin; Likhne Church of the Virgin; Church of the Virgin in Mravaltsq’aro Monastery at the Gareja Desert; Murq’meli Church of Savior; Church of the Holy Cross in Mtskheta; Minor Church of the Holy Cross in Mtskheta; Small Chapel and Church in the Monastery of St. John the Baptist at the Gareja Desert; Main Church of the Lavra of Otkhta Eklesia; Church of St. John the Baptist in the Lavra of Oshki; Parkhali Church of St. John the Baptist; Church №5 in Sabereebi Monastery at the Gareja Desert; Church №6 in Sabereebi Monastery at the Gareja Desert; Church №7 in Sabereebi Monastery at the Gareja Desert; Church №8 in Sabereebi Monastery at the Gareja Desert; Tbeti Cathedral of Holy Apostles; Church of the Virgin in Udabno Monastery at the Gareja Desert; Refectory of Udabno Monastery at the Gareja Desert; Pia Church of St. Theodore; Chvabiani Church of Savior; Small Chapel in Tsamebuli Monastery at the Gareja Desert; Tsromi Church of Savior; Khakhuli Cathedral of the Virgin; Natalia Turabelidze – Manglisi Sioni Cathedral; Elisabed Ugulava – Ertso Sioni; Iprari Church of Holy Archangels; Nakipari Church of St. George; Svipi Church of St. George; Church of the Virgin in Udabno Monastery at the Gareja Desert; Diaconicon of the Church of the Virgin in Udabno Monastery at the Gareja Desert; Refectory of Udabno Monastery at the Gareja Desert; Ujarma Church of the Holy Cross; Kurashi Church of St. George; Tsromi Church of Savior