Khandzta ( ka, ხანძთა, ) was a medieval Georgian monastery founded by

Gregory of Khandzta Gregory of Khandzta ( ka, გრიგოლ ხანძთელი, ''Grigol Khandzteli''; 759 – 5 October 861) was a Georgian ecclesiastic figure and a founder and leader of numerous monastic communities in Tao-Klarjeti, a historical regi ...

in 782 AD. It has been identified as probably being the ruined monastery known as Porta, in Pırnallı village,

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 ...

History

In 780 the future St Gregory of Khandzta moved to

Tao-Klarjeti Tao-Klarjeti may refer to: * Tao-Klarjeti, part of Georgian historical region of Upper Kartli * Kingdom of Tao-Klarjeti, AD 888 to 1008 {{set index article Kingdom of Iberia Historical regions of Georgia (country) ...

to revive Georgian monasticism in the region. He initially resided at the monastery of Opiza but then founded his own monastery at Khandzta in c782, and soon it became the center of monastic life in Tao-Klarjeti under his direction. Its influence lasted after his death in 861. In the 10th century, a local monk,

Giorgi Merchule Giorgi Merchule ( ka, გიორგი მერჩულე) was a 10th-century Georgian monk, calligrapher and writer who authored ''The Vita of Grigol Khandzteli'', a hagiographic novel dealing with the life of the prominent Georgian churchma ...

, wrote a ''Life'' of Gregory, celebrated as a masterpiece of Georgian medieval hagiography.

Construction

The first church at Khandzta was built of wood by Gregory and his companions. A dining hall and living cells were also built at that time (end of the 8th century). In 820, during the reign of Ashot I, a stone church was built to replace it by the nobleman Gabriel Dapanchuli. The present church building seems to be a replacement again, dating from 918 . The remoteness of the site made the construction difficult, as most material, notably the high-quality

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

, was not available locally and had to be hauled for long distances. The building was completed in 941. A freestanding bell-tower was added in the 16th century. There is also a medieval chapel whose east wall acts as a fountain. From that time, the integration of the region into the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

and the progressive

Islamisation The spread of Islam spans almost 1,400 years. The early Muslim conquests that occurred following the death of Muhammad in 632 CE led to the creation of the caliphates, expanding over a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted ...

of the population led to the decline of the monastery, and its eventual abandonment.

The main church

The main church in the complex was built on the eastern part of an artificial terrace. Despite significant damage, its main structure has survived until now. An important part of the facade has been destroyed. Most of the

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

of the church collapsed in 2007.Georgian Cathalikos Patriarch Urges to Reconstruct Churches in Turkey and to Hold Public Worship in Georgian Language
Trend News Agency. 17 December 2007.

References

Sources

* Khoshtaria D., ''კლარჯეთის ეკლესიები და მონასტრები'', თბილისი, 2005, 2009, * Djobadze, Vakhtang, "A Brief Survey of the Monastery of St George in Hanzta", ''Oriens Christianus'', B. 78, 1994 * Djobadze, Vakhtang, ''Early Medieval Georgian Monasteries in Historic Tao, Klardjeti and Savseti'', Stuttgart, 1992 * Djobadze, Vakhtang, ხანძთის წმ. გიორგის მონასტერი (მოკლე მიმოხილვა), არტანუჯი, 4, 1995 *

Nicholas Marr Nikolai Yakovlevich Marr (, ''Nikolay Yakovlevich Marr''; , ''Nikoloz Iak'obis dze Mari''; — 20 December 1934) was a Georgian-born historian and linguist who gained a reputation as a scholar of the Caucasus during the 1910s before embarking o ...

, Дневник поездки в Шавшию и Кларджию. წიგნში: Георгий Мерчул, Житие св. Григория Хандзтийского. Грузинский текст. Введение, издание, перевод Н. Марра, Тексты и разыскания по армяно-грузинской филологии, кн. VII, С.-Петербург, 1911 * Berdzenishvili D., Menabde L., GSE, volume 11, p. 434, Tbilisi, 1987 * * ''А. Павлинов'', Экспедиция на Кавказ 1888 года, Материалы по Археологии Кавказа, вып. III, Москва, 1893 {{Georgian churches Georgian Orthodox churches in Turkey Christian monasteries established in the 10th century Buildings and structures in Artvin Province