A religious heritage of great beauty
The main historical monuments that can be found in any region of Georgia are religious buildings. Built in beautiful and impregnable natural sites, many of them have survived centuries of hostility. With Georgia's conversion to Christianity, religious architecture developed at a rapid pace, often on ancient pagan or Zoroastrian sites. Georgia's churches and monasteries, due to their often unexpected geographical location, are invaluable treasures for the country.
Early churches, such as the Svetitskhoveli church in Mtskheta
, were often built in wood and then consolidated in rectangular cut stones, sealed with mortar. The construction techniques of Western Romanesque art can be easily found, with elements such as groin vaults, round vaults, domes, arches and pillars.From the 4th to the 7th century, churches were built in large numbers to accommodate the ever-increasing numbers of faithful. The first basilicas built in Georgia were those of Bolnissi
(478-493), Urbnissi and Antchiskhati in Tbilisi. Similar features are found between the different buildings, with a roof covering the three naves, the central nave being higher than the two side naves, which have a half-barrel vault. In the second half of the 6th century, churches with a dome, which takes place in the centre of the church, really appeared.Very fine examples are the church of Djvari (586-604), which overlooks Mtskheta, andthe churches of Martvili,Atenis Sioni
and Chouamta. They were built on the same model - called the tetraconic domed plan - that was then developing in Georgia. Being similar to religious monuments found in Armenia, it was then that the so-called "Caucasian" style was born. The structure has four corner chambers and its central part is surmounted by a dome.But the size of the churches is too small to accommodate the ever-increasing number of worshippers. It is for this reason that from the second half of the 7th century to the 10th century, religious architecture developed in very particular types, harmoniously mixing traditional elements, various forms and themes, and innovations. It was also during this period that an element of Byzantine origin appeared in Georgian churches: the dome on pendentives.
During the reign of King Bagrat III (975-1014), Georgia was unified and economic prosperity encouraged the flourishing of architectural art. The newly constructed buildings are imposing. The Cathedral of the Mother of God in Kutaisi (1003), the Cathedral of St George of Alaverdi (11th century) and Svetitskhoveli in Mtskheta
(1010-1029) bear witness to the new power of the country. Numerous decorative elements are also produced, on the façades, arches, doors and windows. Inside, paintings cover the walls and vaults. The church of Samtavissi (between Kaspi and Gori), although smaller in size, is particularly noteworthy for its eastern façade, carved with very detailed motifs (lily, griffin, cross, tree of life). Only this façade is original, as is the surrounding wall. The rest suffered from the earthquake of 1283 and Mongolian destruction.Thereafter, the country will experience different phases. Smaller churches were built between the 12th and 13th centuries, but more emphasis was placed on frescoes and ornaments. From the 14th to the 18th century, the unrest in the country led to a marked decrease in the construction of religious buildings. At thesame time, prosperous towns were ransacked and abandoned (such as Gremi, capital of Kakhetia). On theother hand, fortresses such as Ananouri
, baths and caravanserais, under the influence of Muslim powers, multiplied.In the 19th century, there was a revival with the prosperity brought by the Russian annexation. Orthodox Russia favours the construction of churches, influenced by Russian architecture. In the second half of the 19th century, national Romanticism inaugurated a neomedieval style, taking up the architectural canons of the Golden Age, but enlarging the dimensions, such as the Kachveti Church on Rustaveli Avenue inTbilisi. Theadvent of the USSR sounded the death knell for religious architecture, but it resumed with renewed vigour from the late 1990s, in a national style often criticized for its megalomania (the new Sameba Church,gigantic and marble-covered inside, exceeds the size of the cathedrals of Alaverdi
and Svetitskhoveli). In the non-historic urban areas, many churches with a medieval appearance are built.Other religious styles have flourished in Georgia. In particular, Armenian churches in the country have their own style, distinct from the religious architecture of Armenia. Their apparent resemblance to Orthodox churches is a source of dispute over some of the buildings. Tbilisi
has a very large number of old Armenian churches (in fact, most of the churches in the Old Town, even though they are now Orthodox); practically every town has an Armenian church. Finally, Samtskhe-Djavakhetia is rich in Armenian religious buildings.The Catholic churches built between the 17th and 20th centuries are of an indigenous style; in particular a type, such as the church of Gori
or that of Kutaisi, which mixes Jesuit architecture and local colours. Finally, the territory of south-western Georgia is full of ruins of mosques and madrassas from the 16th or 17th centuries, built by the Ottomans. Rarely much remains of them, and the mosques that have survived (Batumi and Tbilisi) are 19th century buildings of no particular architectural interest. Tbilisi had a large number of Shi'ite mosques of Iranian type, but Beria razed them all in the 1930s, leaving one of the few Sunni mosques in the city, which was not very refined.Secular architecture, Russian influence and traditional habitat
, inPersian style, or that of the Eeristavi of Akhalgori, as well as many fortresses, often in ruins.
1801 is an important date in the history of the country, since it corresponds to the attachment of Georgia to Russia. Without the specific features of the local architecture disappearing, the Russian classical style invaded the cities, in administrative buildings but also in the habitat. In the old quarter of the capital Tbilisi, as well as in theold quarters of the main cities (Kutaisi,Telavi ), the Russian imprint is easily recognizable. A Persian style will persevere as long in the ornaments and design of city streets, which predate the Russian era, as in Old Tbilisi. An emblematic local peculiarity of Tbilisi and Kartlie-Kakhetia is the use of finely decorated wooden balconies. Their sometimes stunning structure is for many people a part of the picturesque character of the place. There is an orientalism that has been integrated by Russian and European architects, who in the 19th century made the old quarter of the Georgian capital a "new Orient". This is clearly visible in buildings such as the Tbilisi City Hall or the OperaHouse
, which is in a very Moorish style.In the regions, the architecture of the dwellings is varied and has been created according to the lifestyles of the inhabitants and the climatic conditions. Whereas in the plains, houses have large wooden terraces and arbours in the gardens where to take refuge on hot summer evenings, the higher one climbs, the more wood gives way to stone, which is much more insulating. In the Great Caucasus, as in Svanetia, the strange house-towers are one of the most surprising habitats.
Some villages where dozens of austere towers are side by side will impress more than one, they take place near the houses in which the inhabitants took refuge in times of hostility.
To observe another architectural curiosity, you have to go through the old streets of Bolnissi
and Dmanissi, to see the houses built in the 19th century by the German settlers. They combine the airiness of the Transcaucasian houses (woodwork, terraces, balconies) with the solid dimensions of the Swabian farms. Like an ornament of old Tbilisi on a house in Baden-Württemberg, this architecture is one of the most obvious architectural blends in the region.TheStalinist years will have bequeathed many neo-classical buildings, less impressive than those seen in Moscow, and which often take up local motifs, such as the Academy of Sciences or the Tbilisi Post Office, theStalin
Museum in Gori. The least glittering of this period are the new districts with vertical architecture on the outskirts of Tbilisi (Glani, Temka, Mukhiani, the Nutsubidze Plateau, Didi Digomi). Dating from the 1950s, these large ensembles are poorly maintained and make the landscape ugly. The typical habitat of the 1960s is the khroutchovka, a small concrete bar with identical dwellings. Over the years, however, it is being replaced by housing blocks built higher and higher and of lower quality.New constructions
In 2003, Mikhael Saakashvili came to power following the Rose Revolution. He then intervenes strongly in the field of architecture with the will to make certain elements of the past disappear, such as communist statues and memorials paying homage to Russian soldiers. At the same time, elements of contemporary architecture were introduced in a style close to the new megalopolises such as Dubai or Hong Kong. They aim to renovate old Soviet buildings (the glass-coveredAdjara and Iveria hotels in Tbilisi
), or to build new ones such as the Batumi hotels in old Tbilisi. As far as the renovations for tourism purposes are concerned, they may be surprising as they do not seem to respect the old architecture of the buildings. The Bagrati Cathedral in Kutaisi and its surprising green roof is a goodexample.Troglodytic architecture in Georgia
Georgia has three remarkable troglodytic sites. The city of Uplistsikhe
dates from the 6th century BC and reached its peak in the High Middle Ages, when it had 700 caves transformed into dwellings, palaces, churches and theatres for about 20,000 inhabitants. There are still 150 of these today, including a theatre from Roman times and an ancient pagan temple. Ouplistsikhe, "God's castle", was inhabited until the beginning of the 20th century; today it is a museum.The monasteries of David Garedja are an outstanding example of monastic architecture on the rock. Founded in the 6th century, the complex also contains caves for religious purposes and others for housing. They were developed between the 6th and 19th centuries. Several churches are carved into the caves, including the 6th-century Church of the Transfiguration. The site is now once again inhabited by about 50 monks.
But the most astonishing of the Georgian troglodytic sites is certainly the town of Vardzia. It was by order of a woman, Tamar, who had the title of king, that this ancient monastery was excavated in the Erusheti mountain at the end of the 12th century. On thirteen levels, the different spaces housed dwellings, libraries and shops. In total, the city hosted up to 50,000 inhabitants. Although in 1283 an earthquake destroyed a large part of its surface, the undamaged part is home to a small group of monks who live there, and it is possible to visit the site.
