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Gareja, Monastery of St. Dodo, Murals of the Burial Church of St. Dodo

Building: Gareja, St. Dodo Monastery, Burial Church of St. Dodo
Layer of the Murals: One Layer
Date/Period: 9th c.
Donor(s): Unknown
Painter(s): Unknown
Building Gallery

Inscription(s)

of the Donor(s)
of the Painter(s)

Description

The chancel conch and the middle of the north wall of the north arm had been decorated with painting.

 

Chancel

In the conch of the chancel there is a composition of Christ in Majesty: Christ (Ⴈ(ႤႱ)Ⴣ || Ⴕ(ႰႨႱႲ)Ⴡ – Jesus Christ) flanked by archangels Michael (Ⴋ(Ⴈ)Ⴕ(ႠႤ)Ⴊ – Michael) and Gabriel (Ⴂ(Ⴀ)Ⴁ(ႰႨႤ)Ⴊ – Gabriel). Enthroned Christ is inscribed in an oval multi-layer mandorla; He is holding an open book in the left hand. In the middle of the 20th century trace of the inscription on the book was still discernable. The archangels are represented full-length holding a scepter and sphere (fragmentarily preserved). A tetramorph and a seraph are depicted between Christ and the archangels. Asomtavruli (capital) inscriptions are identified between the seraphs and Christ (Ⴜ(ႫႨႣႠ) (Ⴀ)ႰႱ Ⴜ(ႫႨႣႠ) (Ⴀ)ႰႱ | Ⴜ(ႫႨႣႠႠ)ႰႱ || Ⴓ(ႴႠႪ)Ⴈ ႱႠႡ(ႠႭ)[Ⴇ] – Holy, Holy, Holy The Lord All-Powerful; Ⴜ(ႫႨႣႠ) (Ⴀ)ႰႱ Ⴜ(ႫႨႣႠ) (Ⴀ)ႰႱ | Ⴜ(ႫႨႣႠ) (Ⴀ)ႰႱ Ⴓ(ႴႠႪ)Ⴈ | Ⴑ(Ⴀ)Ⴁ(ႠႭ)Ⴇ – Holy, holy. Holy. The Lord All-Powerful (Isaiah 6:3). The blessing right hand and a dove are descending from the semi-circular segment of the sky depicted on the keystone of the conch. Two medallions are placed on both sides of Christ’s nimbus with a cross: the left side has a bust portrayal of female figure with a point of a crescent above her head; on the right is a bust portrayal of a youth sholding a lit torch – they are personifications of celestial bodies. An asomtavruli inscription runs along the triumphal arch : ႱႠႾႪႱႠ : ႸႤႬႱႠ : ႸႳჃႤႬႨႱ: ႱႨႼႫႨႣႤ : ႭჃ[ႴႠႪႭ ႱႨႢႰႻႤႱႠ ႸႨႬႠ ႣႶႤႧႠႱႠ] – სახლსა შენსა შვენის სიწმიდე უ[ფალო სიგრძესა შინა დღეთასა] (Ps. 92:3-5).

 

Aisle

The north arm had representations of holy riders: St. George (Ⴜ(ႫႨႣႠ)Ⴢ Ⴂ(ႨႭႰႢ)Ⴈ – Saint George) and St. Theodore (Ⴜ(ႫႨႣႠ)Ⴢ Ⴇ(ႤႥႣႭႰ)Ⴄ – Saint Theodore). Presently the painting is completely destroyed. Only a colored sketch made by Eugene Lanceray in 1921 has survived.

 

Dating

There are different opinions about creating the painting of the church. Presence of the painted chancel screen of the late medieval period in the church made some scholars presume that the murals in the chancel were executed in a later period: Georgij Chubinashvili, Peshchernye monastyri David-Garedzhi [Csve Monasteries of David Gareji] (Tbilisi, 1948), 101; Dmitrij Gordeev, “Monastyri Garedzhi (1919)” [“Gareja Monasteries (1919)”], in Zaza Skhirtladze, “Garejis mravalmt’is samonastro gaert’ianebis mokhatulobat’a sametsniero kvlevis istoriidan” [“Excerpts on the History of Scientific Research on Gareja Murals”], Gelat’is metsnierebat’a akademiis shromebi [Proceedings of Gelati Academy of Sciences] V (2019): 375-7). According to iconographic and stylistic features of the painting, as well as the paleography of the explanatory fresco inscriptions, Shalva Amiranashvili dated the murals in the chancel by the seventh -eighth centuries, while the 14th century was suggested for the figure of the monk depicted on the north wall. The scholar did not specify the date of the holy riders depicted on the same wall (Shalva Amiranashvili, Istorija gruzinskoj srednevekovoj monumental’noj zhivopisi [History of Medieval Georgian Monumental Painting] I (Tbilisi, 1957), 31-3). The date of the frescos determined by Shalva Amiranashvili was shared by Krista Imm (Christa Ihm, Die Programme der christlichen Apsismalerei: vom 4. Jahrhundert bis zur Mitte des 8. Jahrhunderts (Stuttgart, 1992)2, 43), whereas Victor Lazarev dated the frescos by the ninth century (Viktor Lazarev, Istorija vizantijskoj zhivopisi (Moscow, 1986)2, 58-9). Tatiana Shevjakova considered the murals of the chancel to be contemporaneous with the cave complex of Sabereebi and presumed they had been created in the ninth century. Based on the manner of execution and the applied colors, the scholar considered the saints’ figures represented on the north wall to be contemporaneous with the chancel composition (Tat’jana Shevjakova, Monumental’naja zhivopis’ rannego srednevekov’ja gruzii [Monumental Painting of the Early Medieval Georgia] (Tbilisi, 1983), 16). Tinatin Virsaladze dated the chancel composition by the ninth century (Tinatin Virsaladze, “Osnovnye etapy razvitija gruzinskoj srednevekovoj monumenta’noj zhivopisi” [“Main Stages of Development of Medieval Georgian Monumental Painting”], II Mezhdunarodnij simpozium po gruzinskomu iskusstvu [II International Symposium on Georgian Art] (Tbilisi, 1977), 6; Reprinted in id., Izbrannye trudy [Collected Studies] (Tbilisi, 2007), 12–3). Anel Volskaja dated the painting by the ninth century on the basis of its stylistic features and regarded the monument as the one different from the murals of Sabereebi complex and that related to metropolitan trend marked with Hellenistic motifs (Aneli Vol’skaja, “Rannie rospisi Garedzhi” [“Early Paintings of Gareja”], IV Mezhdunarodnij simpozium po gruzinskomu iskusstvu [IV International Symposium on Georgian Art] (Tbilisi, 1983), 9; Aneli Vol’skaja, “Rospisi peshchernjkh monastyrej David Garedzhi” [“Murals of the David Gareji Cave Monasteries”], in Konstantine P’itskhelauri ed., Gareji [Kakhet’is ark’qeologiuri ek’speditsiis shromebi: VIII [Kakheti Archeological Expedition Studies: VIII] (Tbilisi, 1988), 138); Zaza Skhirtladze dates the painting by the ninth century Zaza Skhirtladze, ‘Garejis ts’. dodos monastris gumbat’iani eklesiis mokhatulobis sistemisat’vis” [“Concerning the System of Painting of the Domed Church in St. Dodo’s Monastery in Gareja”], Sak’art’velos metsnierebat’a akademiis moambe [Bulletin of the Georgian Academy of Sciences]144, №1 (1991): 109; Zaza Skhirtladze, Adreuli shua saukuneebis kart’uli kedlis mkhatvroba. T’elovanis jvarpatiosani [Early Medieval Georgian Monumental Painting. Telovani Church of the Holy Cross] (Tbilisi, 2008), 26-8).

According to iconographic and stylistic features, as well as paleographic data of the fresco inscriptions, the painting of the chancel of the church where St. Dodo is rested can be dated to the ninth century – it is one of the earliest and remarkable examples of formation and adoption of painting traditions within the Gareja monastic space.

Bibliography

Dmitrij Gordeev, “Monastyri Garedzhi (1919)” [“Gareja Monasteries (1919)”], in Zaza Skhirtladze, “Garejis mravalmt’is samonastro gaert’ianebis mokhatulobat’a sametsniero kvlevis istoriidan” [“Excerpts on the History of Scientific Research on Gareja Murals”], Gelat’is metsnierebat’a akademiis shromebi [Proceedings of Gelati Academy of Sciences] V (2019): 375–7.

Georgij Chubinashvili, Peshchernye monastyri David-Garedzhi [Csve Monasteries of David Gareji] (Tbilisi, 1948), 101.

Shalva Amiranashvili, Istorija gruzinskoj srednevekovoj monumental’noj zhivopisi [History of Medieval Georgian Monumental Painting] I (Tbilisi, 1957), 31–5.

Shalva Amiranashvili, K’art’uli khelovnebis istoria [History of Georgian Art] (Tbilisi, 1971): 194–5.

Tinatin Virsaladze, “Osnovnye etapy razvitija gruzinskoj srednevekovoj monumenta’noj zhivopisi” [“Main Stages of Development of Medieval Georgian Monumental Painting”], II Mezhdunarodnij simpozium po gruzinskomu iskusstvu [II International Symposium on Georgian Art] (Tbilisi, 1977), 6; Reprinted in id., Izbrannye trudy [Collected Studies] (Tbilisi, 2007), 12–3.

Jacqueline Lafobntaine-Dosogne, “Recherches sur les programmes decoratifs des églises médiévales en Géorgie en relation avec la peinture monumentale byzantine”, IIe Symposium International sur l’art Géorgien (Tbilisi, 1977), 2–3.

Tat’jana Shevjakova, Monumental’naja zhivopis’ rannego srednevekov’ja gruzii [Monumental Painting of the Early Medieval Georgia] (Tbilisi, 1983), 14–6.

Aneli Vol’skaja, “Rannie rospisi Garedzhi” [“Early Paintings of Gareja”], IV Mezhdunarodnij simpozium po gruzinskomu iskusstvu [IV International Symposium on Georgian Art] (Tbilisi, 1983), 9.

Aneli Vol’skaja, “Rospisi peshchernjkh monastyrej David Garedzhi” [“Murals of the David Gareji Cave Monasteries”], in Konstantine P’itskhelauri ed., Gareji [Kakhet’is ark’qeologiuri ek’speditsiis shromebi: VIII [Kakheti Archeological Expedition Studies: VIII] (Tbilisi, 1988), 138–9.

Viktor Lazarev, Istorija vizantijskoj zhivopisi (Moscow, 1986)2, 58–9.

Aneli Volskaia, Merab Buchukuri, “Metsnierebuli asli-rekonstruk’tsia da misi roli shua saukuneebis kedlis mkhatvrobis shests’avlashi (davit’ garejis dodos rk’is monastris IX s. mkhatvrobis magalit’ze” [“Scientific Copy-Reconstruction and its Role For the Study of Medieval Painting (On the Example of (9th-Century Painting in the Dodork’a Monastery of Davit’ Gareja”], spek’tri 2 (1999): 53–63.

Zaza Skhirtladze, ‘Garejis ts’. dodos monastris gumbat’iani eklesiis mokhatulobis sistemisat’vis” [“Concerning the System of Painting of the Domed Church in St. Dodo’s Monastery in Gareja”], Sak’art’velos metsnierebat’a akademiis moambe [Bulletin of the Georgian Academy of Sciences]144, №1 (1991): 109–12.

Christa Ihm, Die Programme der christlichen Apsismalerei: vom 4. Jahrhundert bis zur Mitte des 8. Jahrhunderts (Stuttgart, 1992)2, 43.

Merab Buchukuri, “Garejis p’reskebis restavratsia: shedegebi da perspek’tivebi” [“Restoration of Gareja Murals: Results and Prospects”],“, in Zaza Shirtladze ed., Desert Monasticism. Gareja and the Christian East [Proceedings of the Gareja Studies Centre: II] (Tbilisi, 2001), 256–9.

Zaza Skhirtladze, Adreuli shua saukuneebis kart’uli kedlis mkhatvroba. T’elovanis jvarpatiosani [Early Medieval Georgian Monumental Painting. Telovani Church of the Holy Cross] (Tbilisi, 2008), 26–8.

Nino Chikhladze, Dzveli sak’art’velos monumenturi p’erts’era da misi moamageni [Old Georgian Monumental Painting and its Guardians] (Tbilisi, 2017), ill. 12–5.