Gudarekhi ( ka, გუდარეხი) is a village in

Kvemo Kartli Kvemo Kartli ( ka, ქვემო ქართლი ) or "Lower Kartli", is a historic province and current administrative region (mkhare) in southeastern Georgia. The city of Rustavi is the regional capital. Location Kvemo Kartli is a region ...

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 ...

, notable for a nearby monastic complex and

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

. It is located on a hill some 8 km north from the town

Tetritsqaro Tetritskaro or Tetritsqaro ( ka, თეთრიწყარო, tr; , ) is a town in Kvemo Kartli in southern Georgia. It is the municipal center of Tetritsqaro Municipality. According to 2014 Georgian Census its population is 3,093. The Baku-Tbi ...

, southwest of Georgia’s capital

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 ( ...

. A large-scale archaeological research of the area was carried out in 1938 and 1939. It revealed the remnants of a medieval urban settlement with well-developed

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

production. The complex consists of a ruined palace, living premises, a

wine cellar A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae, or plastic containers. In an ''active'' wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control s ...

, a pilastered building, and several other structures which date from the 12th-13th and 16th-17th centuries. To the south of the ruined settlement lies the Gudarekhi monastery consisting of a single nave church and a free-standing two-storey bell-tower. The church was commissioned from the architect Chichaporisdze in the 13th century. It is built of well hewn stones, with richly incrustated and decorated façades. The church formerly possessed an avidly decorated iconostasis which is now on display at the

Art Museum of Georgia The Art Museum of Georgia (AMG) ( ka, საქართველოს ხელოვნების მუზეუმი, ''sak'art'velos khelovnebis muzeumi''), alternatively known as Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts, is one of the l ...

in Tbilisi. The bell-tower was erected during the reign of

Demetre II of Georgia Demetre is an Old Greek male name. Examples * Demetre Chiparus * Demetre II of Georgia * Demetre I of Georgia * Demetre Kantemir * Demetre of Guria * Demetres Koutsavlakis * Demetrescu-Tradem External links Etymology of DemetreEtymology ...

in 1278. The complex was repaired in 2006.

References

National Programme for Rehabilitation of Monuments of Georgia's Cultural Heritage: Gudarekhi.
Ministry of Culture of Georgia, 2006. *Gaprindashvili, Ghivi (1975), Ancient monuments of Georgia. Vardzia: History, architecture, wall painting, applied arts, p. 16. Aurora Art. {{coord, 41, 35, N, 44, 27, E, display=title, region:GE_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Populated places in Tetritsqaro Municipality Georgian Orthodox monasteries Archaeological sites in Georgia (country) Buildings and structures completed in the 13th century Buildings and structures in Kvemo Kartli

See also

References