Abstracts - International Initiative for Georgian Cultural Studies

efore seen on Bulgarian lands as pertaining to the external decorative scheme of medieval churches. A
feature shared by both the ossuary and Metoshki consists of a twice recessed blind arcade. Its main unit
consists of a pilaster, to the center of which is attached a semi-column.These engaged columns with semicylindrical
profiles rise to form arches in a continuous manner, i.e. uninterrupted by capitals. The columns
and the arches become part of the same continuous organism projecting the exact same semi-cylindrical
profile.
This decorative program is well-known in the Caucasus, where it has been used extensively, mainly for
embellishing parts of the exterior of ecclesiastical buildings, while very occasionally it has been used in the
interior as well. Scholarship has traditionally pointed to Armenian precedents for this type of church facade
decoration. This author, however, puts forth in this study, an even earlier Georgian example, namely from
864. Other Georgian examples exist from the 10 th and the early part of the 11 th century.
This study proposes to make a comparative analysis with respect to style and function of the external facade
decoration of the two Pakourianos foundations in Bulgaria and the Georgian buildings with the intent
of showing that this artistic idiom has been borrowed from the medieval buildings of the Caucasus, with
the earliest extant exponent coming from Georgia. This notion of the importation of artistic ideas from the
Caucasian program of facade decoration will be examined in light of the close politico-socio-religious ties
that existed between Georgia of the third quarter of the 11 th century and the Georgian community of monks
in this region of Bulgaria, and most importantly in light of the founder’s own intimate ties with the lands
of the Caucasus.
Tamar Khundadze
G. Chubinashvili National Center of Georgian Art History and Monuments Protection. Georgia
The Images of Historical Figures in Medieval (6 th -11 th c) Georgian Facade Sculpture
The images of historical figures form an important part of Christian medieval art. The earliest examples
of these images in Georgia are preserved on stone carvings. The facades of Georgian churches often bear
the images of donors, such as governors and clergy, as well as of architects and masters. The exact place for
these images on the exterior was not strictly determined – we see them on the lower part of the building,
above the doors and windows, and even on the dome.
The stone carved images of historical persons became the focus of Georgian scholarship from the very
beginning of this area of study. Significant research by G. Chubinashvili, R. Schmerrling, L. Rcheulishvili,
N. Chubinashvili, G. Alibegashvili, N. Aladashvili, A. Volskaia, K. Machabeli is dedicated to analysis
of the style and historical information provided by these images. Juxtaposing carvings’ accompanying
inscriptions with historical sources helped to identify the historical figures depicted. In the past twenty years,
studies by N. Aladashvili, L. Khuskivadze, D. Khoshtaria, I. Nikoleishvili, G. Gagoshidze, I. Giviashvili, T.
Khundadze, among others, mainly focused on the thematic and symbolic context of donor compositions.
The central idea of these images is the plea for the salvage of human soles and for divine protection. In
terms of this general idea, there are some thematic variations that result in a diversity of composition and
schemes: We have the images of historical persons approaching the Savior, the Virgin, the Saints, and the
Angels with the gesture of prayer; the separate praying, Orant figures; and the donors with church models
in their hands before the Savior, the Virgin, the Saints or Prophets. Furthermore, images of historical figures
with church models are included in scenes of The Last Judgment. In addition, we have some examples of
historical figures flanking the cross, which reflects the longlasting local tradition of cross veneration. Some
unique compositions include donors facing the plan of the church, the consecration of church, liturgical
procession, historical figures riding horses, among others.
Diversity of thematic and compositional interpretation is also present in the images of architects and
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