Shrines of old capital
By Yana Vinetskaya exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
Mtskheta is a small city at the crossing of the rivers Aragvi and Kura. It is located a few kilometers north of Tbilisi. The history of Mtskheta starts in the second half of the 1st millenium BC, making it one of the oldest cities of Georgia. The legend says that King Kartlos' wife divided all his lands between their sons after her husband's death. The eldest son, Mtskhetos, settled on the crossing of the rivers Aragvi and Mtkvari (Kura), founded a city and named it after himself. Another legend says that the city had been founded by one of Noah's closest offspring after his Ark reached Mt. Ararat. There are so many legends and fables related to Mtskheta.
In the 4th century BC, Kartli King Azo (Azovi) declared the city the capital of the Kartli Kingdom. Mtskheta remained the kingdom's capital for about a thousand years, then moved to Tbilisi. The residence of the Catholicos, the head of the Georgian Church, stayed in the city for centuries.
Mtskheta has several holy places associated with St. Nina, a figure worshipped all over Georgia. She converted Iveria (the old name of Georgia) to Christianity in the 4th century.
The patriarch's Cathedral of the 12 Apostoli, also known as the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, serves as evidence of old glory. The cathedral was built in the 11th century and was rebuilt many times. Many Georgian kings rest there, including Heraclius II and Georgi XII. The Saviour's Chiton, the Seamless Robe of Jesus, was kept in the cathedral for a long time. The city was conquered by Persian forces and destroyed in the 17th century and the relic was given to Russian King Mikhail Romanov by King Abbas in the 17th century. The Chiton was stored in Moscow's Uspensky Cathedral and other cathedrals of the Russian Empire. Even without the Robe, the cathedral had many other relics and interesting things to show. A guide of the early century recommends tourists to see "the small icon with remains of reliquiae of many saints, a drop of the Saviour's blood in a golden jug and His hair in a glass oval," a small cypress icon depicting the 12 apostoli. The cathedral has stone baptisteries. It is believed that King Mirian was baptised by St. Nina in one of them. Frescos of the 12 Apostoli Cathedral have been replaced with new ones several times. They have been restored and amaze all visitors today.
The Dzhvari Chapel, Javaris-Sekvardi as it was known among Russian visitors a hundred years ago, is another place associated with St. Nina. It is an incredibly harmonious and beautiful temple built where St. Nina placed a cross, according to the story. Construction of the church started in the 6th century. Founded on top of rocks, the church fits into the landscape. Its scale is exactly 1 to 7 of the rock. The temple has crossed-dome architecture, unlike the traditional basilicas with naves of the time. The space inside the Dzhvari Chapel is not split by pillars like in the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral.
The Samtavro Temple built in the 4th century is located nearby in the women's convent. Its design resembled the architecture of the first patriarch's cathedral. King Mirian converted by St. Nina rests there. In the small chapel can be found the 4th century monastic cell of St. Nina.
The guide of Grigory Moskvich points to another place: "Near the declivity between the Samtavro Monastery and the Georgian Military Highway stands a vast wooden burial ground opened in 1871. Many items from the graves prove that the Samtavro Field served as a cemetery for many centuries. The lower tier of tombs holds items of the early Iron Age and may refer to the 10th or 11th century BC, stone boxes of the upper floor doubtlessly belong to the Christian Era because Roman coins of Emperor Augustus were found inside. Thus, the Samtavro burial ground proves the existence of a large and cultured population living at least in the 1st millenium BC."
