Gelati Monastery

Gelati Monastery გელათის მონასტერი
The monastic complex of Gelati
Religion
Affiliation	Georgian Orthodox Church
Region	Caucasus
Location
Location	Kutaisi, Imereti Province (Mkhare), Georgia
Architecture
Type	Georgian; Monastery
Founder	David IV of Georgia ("David the Builder")
Completed	Church of the Virgin, 1106; Churches of St. George and St. Nicholas, 13th century
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name: Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iv
Designated	1994 (18th session)
Reference no.	710
Region	Europe
Endangered	2010–present

Gelati (Georgian: გელათის მონასტერი) is a medieval monastic complex near Kutaisi, in the Imereti region of western Georgia. A masterpiece of the Georgian Golden Age, Gelati was founded in 1106 by King David IV of Georgia and is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Significance

Historically, Gelati was one of the main cultural and intellectual centers in Georgia. It had an Academy which employed some of the most celebrated Georgian scientists, theologians and philosophers, many of whom had previously been active at various orthodox monasteries abroad, such as the Mangana Monastery in Constantinople. Among the religious authors were celebrated scholars as Ioane Petritsi and Arsen Ikaltoeli. Due to the extensive work carried out by the Gelati Academy, people of the time called it "a new Hellas" and "a second Athos".

The Gelati Monastery has preserved a great number of murals and manuscripts dating back to the 12th to 17th centuries. The Khakhuli triptych was enshrined at Gelati until being stolen in 1859. Gelati is the burial site of its founder and one of the greatest Georgian kings David IV. Near King David's grave are the gates of Ganja, which were taken as a trophy by King Demetrius I of Georgia in 1138.

Burials

• Demetrius I of Georgia
• David IV of Georgia
• Solomon I of Imereti
• Solomon II of Imereti
• George III of Georgia
• Vakhtang II of Georgia
• Bagrat VI of Georgia
• George V of Georgia
• Alexander II of Imereti
• George of Chqondidi

Gallery

• 
  Mother of God, mosaic fresco
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  Archangel Michael, mosaic fresco
• 
  The Ascension, mural
• 
  David IV of Georgia, mural
• 
  Icon of St. George in front of the iconostasis
• 
  Gelati monastery, church of Virgin Mary the Blessed. Mural of Christ Pantokrator on ceiling of the central dome (12th century)
• 
  Gelati monastery, Church of Virgin the Blessed, mosaic and mural in the apse depicting Theotokos, Archangels Michael and Gabriel. Arc de Triomphe
• 
  Gelati monastery, Church of Virgin the Blessed. Mural on north wall. From left to right: Queen Rusudan, Prince Bagrat, King George II, Queen Helen, King Bagrat III of Imereti, Catholicos Yevdemon Chetidze, David the Builder
• 
  Gelati monastery. Church of Virgin the Blessed. Mural.
• 
  Shrine in the monastery church
• 
  Gelati Monastery
• 
  Gelati Monastery
• 
  Gelati Monastery
• 
  Gelati Monastery
• 
  Gelati Monastery
• 
  Gelati Monastery
• 
  St. George church
• 
  St. Nicholas church
• 
  Belfry
• 
  Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin
• 
  Portal in the cathedral
• 
  Frescoes in the cathedral
• 
  Frescoes in the cathedral

See also

• Culture of Georgia
• Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church
• World Heritage Sites in Danger

External links

• Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Adapted from the Wikinfo article Gelati Monastery by Levan Urushadze, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.