Baraleti church

Baraleti church
ბარალეთის ეკლესია
	Baraleti church
	41°32′38″N43°30′32″E/ 41.543993°N 43.508989°E
Location	Baraleti,Akhalkalaki Municipality,Samtskhe-Javakheti,Georgia
Type	Two-nave basilica church

TheBaraleti church of the Theotokos(Georgian:ბარალეთის ღვთისმშობლის სახელობის ეკლესია,romanized:baraletis ghvtismshoblis sakhelobis ek'lesia) is a medieval Christian church in the village of Baraleti,Akhalkalaki Municipality,inGeorgia'sregionofSamtskhe-Javakheti.The church is located in the heart of the ethnically mixed Armeno-Georgian village, in the historical province ofJavakheti.It is a two-nave basilica,with the extant 13th-century inscription in Georgian. It is inscribed on the list of theImmovable Cultural Monuments of National Significanceof Georgia.^[1]

Architecture

The Baraleti church was builtc. 1213as suggested by a stone inscription on the eastern façade—executed in the medieval Georgianasomtavruliscript—which dates the construction to "the time when Lasha sat [on the throne] as king", referring toGeorge IV Lasha,king of Georgia. However, the text may actually refer to reconstruction as a plan of the church is representative of an earlier period, particularly, the 11th century.^[2]

The church is a two-nave basilica built of hewn stone blocks. The roof is covered with stone tiles. The entrance is from the south. Each façade is pierced by a single window. The walls contain shelf-likeeaves.The central, northern nave terminates in a semi-circularapse,surrounded withpilastersand arches. The southern nave is lower and narrower, with a smaller semi-circular apse. An arbouredbelfrywas superimposed on the western edge of the church in the 19th century. The exterior is decoration-poor, with only a now-damaged relief immured in the southern wall of the central nave, depictingDaniel in the lions' den,and the 13th-century text inscribed in the eastern façade.^[3]^[4]

Churchyard

There are several tombstones scattered around the church. Anepitaphon one of these honors the local Georgian priest Petre Khmaladze (1775–1856) and mentions his contribution to the defense of Christianity in the area, which had been under theOttomanrule before passing into the control of theRussian Empirein 1829. Khmaladze wascanonizedby theGeorgian Orthodox Churchin 2015.^[5]

References

^"List of Immovable Cultural Monuments"(PDF)(in Georgian). National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia.Retrieved3 July2019.
^Kharadze, Koba (2003).ჯავახეთის ხუროთმოძღვრული და ბუნების ძეგლები[Monuments of architecture and nature of Javakheti] (in Georgian). Tbilisi. p. 38.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Gamkrelidze, Gela; Mindorashvili, Davit; Bragvadze, Zurab; Kvatsadze, Marine, eds. (2013). "ბარალეთი [Baraleti]".ქართლის ცხოვრების ტოპოარქეოლოგიური ლექსიკონი[Topoarchaeological dictionary of Kartlis tskhovreba (The history of Georgia)](PDF)(in Georgian). Tbilisi: Georgian National Museum. p. 93.ISBN 978-9941-15-896-4.
^Vacheishvili, Nikoloz; Tumanishvili, Dimitri (2000).Javakheti: Historical-Architectural Guidebook.Tbilisi: National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia. p. 25.ISBN 999288570X.
^Guliashvili, Shorena (2018). "საისტორიო ცენტრალურ არქივში დაცული დოკუმენტები მეცხრამეტე საუკუნეში ჯავახეთში მოღვაწე მღვდლის პეტრე ხმალაძის შესახებ [Documents from the historical central archive on Petre Khmaladze, a 19th-century priest in Javakheti]".International Conferenceსაერთაშორისო კონფერენცია „არქივთმცოდნეობა, წყაროთმცოდნეობა - ტენდენციები და გამოწვევები “25-27 ოქტომბერი, 2017 წელი[International Conference Archival and Source Studies – Trends and Challenges. 25-27 October, 2017](PDF)(in Georgian). Tbilisi. pp. 258–263.ISBN 978-9941-8-0504-2.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2019-05-09.Retrieved2019-07-26.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[1] "List of Immovable Cultural Monuments"(PDF)(in Georgian). National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia.Retrieved3 July2019.

[2] Kharadze, Koba (2003).ჯავახეთის ხუროთმოძღვრული და ბუნების ძეგლები[Monuments of architecture and nature of Javakheti] (in Georgian). Tbilisi. p. 38.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[3] Gamkrelidze, Gela; Mindorashvili, Davit; Bragvadze, Zurab; Kvatsadze, Marine, eds. (2013). "ბარალეთი [Baraleti]".ქართლის ცხოვრების ტოპოარქეოლოგიური ლექსიკონი[Topoarchaeological dictionary of Kartlis tskhovreba (The history of Georgia)](PDF)(in Georgian). Tbilisi: Georgian National Museum. p. 93.ISBN 978-9941-15-896-4.

[4] Vacheishvili, Nikoloz; Tumanishvili, Dimitri (2000).Javakheti: Historical-Architectural Guidebook.Tbilisi: National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia. p. 25.ISBN 999288570X.

[5] Guliashvili, Shorena (2018). "საისტორიო ცენტრალურ არქივში დაცული დოკუმენტები მეცხრამეტე საუკუნეში ჯავახეთში მოღვაწე მღვდლის პეტრე ხმალაძის შესახებ [Documents from the historical central archive on Petre Khmaladze, a 19th-century priest in Javakheti]".International Conferenceსაერთაშორისო კონფერენცია „არქივთმცოდნეობა, წყაროთმცოდნეობა - ტენდენციები და გამოწვევები “25-27 ოქტომბერი, 2017 წელი[International Conference Archival and Source Studies – Trends and Challenges. 25-27 October, 2017](PDF)(in Georgian). Tbilisi. pp. 258–263.ISBN 978-9941-8-0504-2.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2019-05-09.Retrieved2019-07-26.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]