{"id":1408,"date":"2020-12-10T14:46:55","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T14:46:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/arthistory.tsu.ge\/murals\/?post_type=painting&p=1408"},"modified":"2021-12-28T07:28:36","modified_gmt":"2021-12-28T07:28:36","slug":"udabno-first-layer-of-murals-in-the-north-chamber-of-the-main-church","status":"publish","type":"painting","link":"https:\/\/arthistory.tsu.ge\/murals\/painting\/udabno-first-layer-of-murals-in-the-north-chamber-of-the-main-church\/","title":{"rendered":"Gareja, Udabno Monastery, Church of the Virgin,
Murals of Diaconicon. First Layer"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Building:<\/strong><\/td>\nGareja, Udabno Monastery, Church of the Virgin, Diaconicon<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Layer of the Murals:<\/strong><\/td>\nFirst Layer<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Date\/Period:<\/strong><\/td>\n10th c.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Donor(s):<\/strong><\/td>\nUnknown<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Painter(s):<\/strong><\/td>\nUnknown<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Building\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"Gallery\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n
[toc]<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

Inscription(s)<\/h4>\n

of the Donor(s)<\/h6>\n
of the Painter(s)<\/h6>\n\n
\n

Description<\/h4>\n

Initially, the interior of the diaconicon was partly painted \u2013 murals were executed in the chancel, on the ceiling of the hall, along the west and north walls, in the upper half.<\/p>\n

Later, at the beginning of the 13th century, the diaconicon was covered with a thin coat of lime and adorned by paintings anew. The chancel composition remained intact and some images were added to it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chancel<\/h6>\n

The chancel shows an earlier iconographical variety of the three-figure composition of the Deesis<\/em>: The Christ standing on a pedestal with his right hand in blessing and holding a codex, flanked by the Mother of God and the Forerunner in supplication.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Aisle<\/h6>\n

The uneven, wavy surface of the ceiling in the hall was decorated with a large cross depicted against the starry sky. The tetramorphs depicted on the area between the arms were accompanied by extracts from the Sanctus (\u10bc\u10ab\u10a8\u10a3\u10a0 \u10a0\u10b0\u10b1 \u10bc\u10ab\u10a8\u10a3\u10a0 \u10a0\u10b0\u10b1 \u10bc\u10ab\u10a8\u10a3\u10a0 \u10a0\u10b0\u10b1<\/strong> \u2013 Holy, Holy, Holy<\/strong>).<\/strong><\/p>\n

West and north walls<\/strong> of the hall depict the life cycle of St. Davit\u2019 Garejeli \u2013 it starts from the south corner of the west wall and extends uninterruptedly up to the eastern section of the north wall. The scenes are executed without framing; at the top and the bottom they are bordered with continuous lines of the mountain ridge and grassy-flowery ground.<\/p>\n

In the first composition<\/em> of the cycle, two monks are depicted facing each other and sitting against the background of hilly landscape. The right one with his raised hand in the sign of addressing must be St. Davit\u2019, while the left one with a monk\u2019s cowl and forked beard is probably St. Lukiane. Apparently, the scene depicts arrival of the Assyrian Fathers at the desert and the episode of their discussion about establishing there.<\/p>\n

A monk praying before the cross with a slightly open book in his hands is depicted in the central part of the second composition<\/em> accommodated between the trees with curled trunks. It is assumed that it is the scene depicting prayer of St. David.<\/p>\n

A slightly bent figure of a monk can be observed in the upper right section of the third composition<\/em>. He is facing a monk praying fervently in the lower part of the scene. Presumably, the scene must be associated with one of the miracles narrated in the life of St. Davit\u2019 of Garejeli.<\/p>\n

A small fragment can be identified on the western section of the north <\/strong>wall. It is a bent diagonal line which allows us to presume that here another, fourth composition<\/em> was depicted.<\/p>\n

In the fifth composition<\/em> three monks are depicted against the background of a high mountain. The middle figure facing left, with a high-edged monk\u2019s cowl and a long cloak is depicted holding a set square. In the left section of the scene, the second monk with forked beard, clad in monk\u2019s tunic and cowl, is holding a long-handled spade and digging earth on a low hill. The third kneeling monk with a high forehead and longish beard is depicted in the lower, right part of the mountain with his hand stretched towards the low hill. It must be the scene of appearing of the spring cited in the life of the saint.<\/p>\n

In the sixth composition<\/em> a monk climbing the ladder diagonally placed against the hill is carrying a fellow monk sitting in a basket on his back; on their way up the hill, they are led by a radiant star depicted at the end of the ladder. The composition seems to be depicting St. Dodo climbing \u00a0on the with the monks and establishing the monastery of the Mother of God opposite to the Lavra of St. Davit\u2019.<\/p>\n

The final, seventh composition<\/em> represents an episode of pilgrimage of St. Davit\u2019 Garejeli to Jerusalem. On the left half of the scene there is St. Davit\u2019 standing in front of the gates of Jerusalem with a bag hung on the shoulder and a long staff in his hand, and on the right half \u2013 two clergymen standing against the background of Jerusalem. The first – Patriarch Elia of Jerusalem (the inscription preserved at the head of the figure reads (\u10a4\u10aa\u10a8\u10a0<\/strong> \u2013 Elia)<\/strong> \u2013 moves towards St. Davit\u2019 holding a long staff and the hand raised in the sign of appeal. The figure behind him has his sight and the right hand directed towards the upper right-hand section of the composition, where a half-figure of an angel must be depicted.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dating<\/h6>\n

Different opinions have been expressed concerning the date of the first layer of paintings of the diaconicon of the main church of Udabno monastery. Shalva Amiranashvili assumed that thbe murals must have been created in the second half of the 9th century (Shalva Amiranashvili, Istorija gruzinskoj srednevekovoj monumental\u2019noj zhivopisi [History of Medieval Georgian Monumental Painting]<\/em> I (Tbilisi, 1957), 41-53); Guram Abramishvili dated the murals by the 860s, which was shared by Svetlana Tomekovich too (Guram Abramishvili, \u201cDavit\u2019 garejis udabnos monastris mt\u2019avari eklesiis kedlis mkhatvrobis t\u2019arighisat\u2019vis\u201d [Concerning the Dating of the Painting of the Udabno Monastery Main Church in Davit\u2019 Gareji], Mats\u2019ne: istoriis, ark\u2019eologiis, etnograf\u2019iisa da khelovnebis istoriis seria [Proceedings of the Georgian Academy of Sciences: Series of History, Archeology, Ethnography, and Art History]<\/em> 5 (1970): 199-222; Guram Abramishvili, D<\/em>avi\u2019t garejelis tsikli k\u2019art\u2019ul kedlis mkhatvrobashi [The Cycle of Davit Garejeli in Georgian Wall Paintings]<\/em> (Tbilisi, 1972), 21-59; Svetlana Tomekovic, \u201cLes particularit\u00e9s du cycle paint de la vie de David Gareji (IXe-Xe si\u00e8cle \u2013 debut du XIIIe si\u00e8cle)\u201c, Rev\u00fae des \u00e9tudes g\u00e9orgiannes et caucasiennes<\/em> 2 (1986), 120-1); Tinatin Virsaladze and Anel Volskaia considered the painting was executed in the late 10th century or the early 11th century (Tinatin Virsaladze, \u201cK voprosu o datirovke pervonachal\u2019noj rospisi severnogo pridela glavnogo khrama monastyrja Udabno\u201d [Concerning the Dating of the Initial Murals in the Northern Chapel of the Main Church in Udabno Monastery], Sak\u2019art\u2019velos metsnierebat\u2019a akademiis sazogadoebriv metsnierebat\u2019a ganq\u2019op\u2019ilebis moambe [Bulletin of the Section of the Social Sciences of the Georgian Academy of Sciences]<\/em> 6 (1968): 239; Aneli Vol\u2019skaja, Rospisi srednevekovykh trapeznykh Gruzii [Murals of Medieval Georgian Refectories]<\/em> (Tbilisi, 1974), 87-97). Initially, Antony Eastmond shared such dating of the paintings (Antony Eastmond, \u201cThe Cult of St. Davit Garejeli: Patronage and Iconographic Change in the Gareji Desert\u201c, in Zaza Shirtladze ed., Desert Monasticism. Gareja and the Christian East [Proceeding of Gareja Studies Centre: II]<\/em> (Tbilisi, 2001), 226), but later, in consensus with Zaza Skhirtladze, the 10th century was named as the conjectural date of the frescos (Zaza Skhirtladze, Antony Eastmond, \u201cTs\u2019. davit\u2019 garejeli tskhovrebis tsikli udabnos monastris mt\u2019avari eklesiis sadiakvnes mokhatulobashi: akhali monatsemebi da dakvirvebebi\u201d [\u201cLife Cycle of St. David Garejeli in the Murals of the Diaconicon of the Udabno Monastery Main Church. New Data and Observations\u201d], Sak\u2019art\u2019velos sidzveleni [Georgian Antiquities]<\/em> 2 (2002): 63; Antony Eastmond, Zaza Skhirtladze, \u201cUdabno Monastery in Georgia: Innovation, Conservation and the Reinterpretation of Medieval Art\u201c, Iconographica<\/em> VII (2008): 23-43). Lado Mirianashvili identified one of the scenes of the life cycle of St. Davit\u2019 which is considered as Appearing of the Spring <\/em>with the scene of Finding the head of St. John the Baptist<\/em>; he dates the murals of the diaconicon by the beginning of the 11th century and regards it as contemporaneous with the painting of the main church (Lado Mirianashvili, \u201cTs\u2019. davit\u2019 garejelis tskhovrebis ark\u2019auli p\u2019reskuli tsiklis akhleburi gaazreba\u201d [\u201cArchaic Mural Cycle of St. Davit Garejeli\u2019s Life Reconsidered\u201d], Istoriisa da et\u2019nologiis institutis shromebi [Proceedings of the Institute of History and Ethnology]<\/em> XIV\u2013XV (2016\u20132017): 630).<\/p>\n\n

\n

Bibliography<\/h4>\n

Shalva Amiranashvili, Istorija gruzinskoj srednevekovoj monumental\u2019noj zhivopisi [History of Medieval Georgian Monumental Painting]<\/em> I (Tbilisi, 1957), 41\u201355.<\/p>\n

Tinatin Virsaladze, \u201cK voprosu o datirovke pervonachal\u2019noj rospisi severnogo pridela glavnogo khrama monastyrja Udabno\u201d [Concerning the Dating of the Initial Murals in the Northern Chapel of the Main Church in Udabno Monastery], Sak\u2019art\u2019velos metsnierebat\u2019a akademiis sazogadoebriv metsnierebat\u2019a ganq\u2019op\u2019ilebis moambe [Bulletin of the Section of the Social Sciences of the Georgian Academy of Sciences]<\/em> 6 (1968): 223\u201339.<\/p>\n

Guram Abramishvili, \u201cDavit\u2019 garejis udabnos monastris mt\u2019avari eklesiis kedlis mkhatvrobis t\u2019arighisat\u2019vis\u201d [Concerning the Dating of the Painting of the Udabno Monastery Main Church in Davit\u2019 Gareji], Mats\u2019ne: istoriis, ark\u2019eologiis, etnograf\u2019iisa da khelovnebis istoriis seria [Proceedings of the Georgian Academy of Sciences: Series of History, Archeology, Ethnography, and Art History]<\/em> 5 (1970): 199\u2013222.<\/p>\n

Guram Abramishvili, D<\/em>avi\u2019t garejelis tsikli k\u2019art\u2019ul kedlis mkhatvrobashi [The Cycle of Davit Garejeli in Georgian Wall Paintings]<\/em> (Tbilisi, 1972), 21\u201359.<\/p>\n

Aneli Vol\u2019skaja, Rospisi srednevekovykh trapeznykh Gruzii [Murals of Medieval Georgian Refectories]<\/em> (Tbilisi, 1974), 87\u201399.<\/p>\n

Svetlana Tomekovic, \u201cLes particularit\u00e9s du cycle paint de la vie de David Gareji (IXe-Xe si\u00e8cle \u2013 debut du XIIIe si\u00e8cle)\u201c, Rev\u00fae des \u00e9tudes g\u00e9orgiannes et caucasiennes<\/em> 2 (1986): 114\u201334.<\/p>\n

Aneli Vol\u2019skaja, \u201cRospisi peshchernjkh monastyrej David Garedzhi\u201d [\u201cMurals of the David Gareji Cave Monasteries\u201d], in Konstantine P\u2019itskhelauri ed., Gareji [Kakhet\u2019is ark\u2019qeologiuri ek\u2019speditsiis shromebi: VIII [Gareji. Studies of Kakheti Archeological Expedition: VIII]<\/em> (Tbilisi, 1988), 87\u201398.<\/p>\n

Antony Eastmond, \u201cThe Cult of St. Davit Garejeli: Patronage and Iconographic Change in the Gareji Desert\u201c, in Zaza Shirtladze ed., Desert Monasticism. Gareja and the Christian East [Proceeding of Gareja Studies Centre: II]<\/em> (Tbilisi, 2001), 220\u201339.<\/p>\n

Zaza Skhirtladze, Antony Eastmond, \u201cTs\u2019. davit\u2019 garejeli tskhovrebis tsikli udabnos monastris mt\u2019avari eklesiis sadiakvnes mokhatulobashi: akhali monatsemebi da dakvirvebebi\u201d [\u201cLife Cycle of St. David Garejeli in the Murals of the Diaconicon of the Udabno Monastery Main Church. New Data and Observations\u201d], Sak\u2019art\u2019velos sidzveleni [Georgian Antiquities]<\/em> 2 (2002): 28\u201349.<\/p>\n

Antony Eastmond, Zaza Skhirtladze, \u201cUdabno Monastery in Georgia: Innovation, Conservation and the Reinterpretation of Medieval Art\u201c, Iconographica<\/em> VII (2008): 23\u201343.<\/p>\n

Lado Mirianashvili, \u201cTs\u2019. davit\u2019 garejelis tskhovrebis ark\u2019auli p\u2019reskuli tsiklis akhleburi gaazreba\u201d [\u201cArchaic Mural Cycle of St. Davit Garejeli\u2019s Life Reconsidered\u201d], Istoriisa da et\u2019nologiis institutis shromebi [Proceedings of the Institute of History and Ethnology]<\/em> XIV\u2013XV (2016\u20132017): 623\u201334.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3460,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":[],"layer":[300],"period":[446],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arthistory.tsu.ge\/murals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/painting\/1408"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arthistory.tsu.ge\/murals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/painting"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arthistory.tsu.ge\/murals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/painting"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arthistory.tsu.ge\/murals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arthistory.tsu.ge\/murals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arthistory.tsu.ge\/murals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"layer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arthistory.tsu.ge\/murals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/layer?post=1408"},{"taxonomy":"period","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arthistory.tsu.ge\/murals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/period?post=1408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}