The Berta monastery ( ka, ბერთა, ) is a former

Georgian Orthodox The Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამოციქულო ავტოკეფალური მართლმადიდებელი ეკლესია, tr), commonl ...

monastery at the village of

Ortaköy Ortaköy (, ''Middle Village)'' is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Beşiktaş, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 9,121 (2024). It is on the European shore of the Bosphorus. it was originally a small fishing villag ...

(formerly Berta),

Artvin Province Artvin Province (; Armenian language, Armenian: Արտվինի նահանգ ''Artvini nahang''; ka, , ''Artvinis p'rovintsia''; Laz language, Laz: ართვინიშ დობადონა ''Artvinish dobadona;'') is a Provinces of Turke ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. It was built in the 8th or 9th century. The surviving structure is now used as a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

History

The Monastery of the Mother of God in Berta or Bertay is first mentioned by the 10th-century Georgian author Giorgi Merchule as a part of Georgian monastic communities operating under the guidance of Grigol of Khandzta (759–861) in what then was the Georgian Bagratid principality of

Klarjeti Klarjeti ( ka, კლარჯეთი ) was a province of ancient and medieval Georgia, which is now part of Turkey's Artvin Province. Klarjeti, the neighboring province of Tao and several other smaller districts, constituted a larger region ...

. The monastery sat on a hill overlooking what is now the village of Ortaköy and consisted of several structures, of which the main church was a

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

d structure faced with smoothly finished small blocks. After the Ottoman takeover of the area in the 16th century, the church was abandoned. In the 19th century, the remaining edifice was converted into a mosque and a

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

was added to it. The ruins of a large rectangular refectory have survived to the north of the former church.

Berta manuscripts

The monastery also functioned as a center for literary activities. Two important Georgian manuscripts known as the ''Berta Gospels'' have survived. One, dating from 988, is preserved at the Museum of

Andover Newton Theological School Andover Newton Theological School (ANTS) was a graduate school and seminary in Newton, Massachusetts, affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and the United Church of Christ. It was the product of a merger between Andover Theological ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

; the other (Q-906) dates from the 12th century and is kept at the National Center for Manuscripts in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. Its gilded book-cover is attributed to the 12th-century master Beshken of Opiza.

References

External links

* {{coord, display=title Georgian Orthodox churches in Turkey Tao-Klarjeti Mosques converted from churches in Turkey