102 Items
Askana Castle
Askana sits atop a high and steep hill with precipitous cliffs on one side overlooking the Bahkvistskali river.
Type: Architecture
Tags: C4th-C6th, Castle, Defensive Network, Fortifications, Georgia, Georgian
Skande/Scandis
Large fort on the fringes of late antique Lazica and referred to in late antique sources as being a place of importance to the defence of the kingdom.
Type: Architecture
Tags: C4th-C6th, Defensive Network, Fortifications, Georgia, Georgian, Late Antique, Lazica, Procopius
Shorapani/Sarapanis
Serving much the same purpose as Skande/Scandis and contemporary with it. Shorapani/Sarapanis is also referred to in late antique sources and played a role in the conflicts to control Lazica.
Type: Architecture
Tags: C4th-C6th, Defensive Network, Fortifications, Georgia, Georgian, Late Antique, Procopius
Vardtsikhe/Rhodopolis city walls
Defences of the city of Vardtsikhe/Rhodopolis. The western and south western sections seem to be the best preserved.There has been a significant amount of restoration in modern times and in some places complete replacement of the wall.
Type: Architecture
Tags: C4th-C6th, Defensive Network, Fortifications, Georgia, Georgian, Lazica, Procopius
Tsikusdziri/Petra
The castle of Tsikusdziri is believed by many to be the fortified city of Petra, (not to be confused with Petra in Jordan) mentioned in late antique sources and built by the Byzantines. This identification seems to be because a better candidate has not been located. Tsikusdziri lacks the harbour a trading centre like Petra would have required. Nevertheless the association of Tsikusdziri with Petra is mostly accepted.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Defensive Network, Fortifications, Georgia, Georgian, Justinian, Procopius
Gonio/Apsarus
Gonio is a large rectangular fort originally built by the Romans who knew it as Apsarus. The fort has been used on and off ever since. Its strategic position has meant it's reoccupation and reuse has been frequent. Traces of modern use can be seen in the concrete gun ports built into the older defences.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Defensive Network, Fortifications, Georgia, Georgian, Late Antique, Roman
Samtavisi
Samtavisi is a large C13th church with the remains of a substantial C5th basilica lying directly to the south. This means that they were built side-by-side and raises the question of when the C5th basilica fell out of use and whether the later building was its replacement.
Type: Architecture
Tags: (As)Syrian Fathers, Architecture, C13th, C5th, Church, Georgia, Samtavisi, Shida Kartli, Thirteen (As)Syrian Fathers
Shiomghvime
Shiomghvime means 'the caves of Shio'. Shio was one of the Thirteen (As)Syrian Fathers and he is reputed to have settled in caves to the west of Mtskheta and it is here that the monastery complex need for him is located. The buildings are of many different periods, meaning that claims that one of the churches dates back to the C6th is difficult to verify.
Type: Architecture
Tags: (As)Syrian Fathers, Architecture, C6th, Caves, Church, Georgia, Mtskheta, Shida Kartli, Shiomghvime, Thirteen (As)Syrian Fathers
Idleti
The small, centrally-planned church of St. John the Baptist in Idleti dates from C5th-C6th and is an unusual building suggesting the architects were experimenting with different forms as the dome, which is hemispherical on the interior, is in a square drum that rests on the crossing of the central space. This centrality has now been lost by the addition of a disproportionately large single storied narthex to the west.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Architecture, C5th-C6th, Centrally-Planned, Church, Georgia, Idleti, Shida Kartli, St. John the Baptist
Urbnisi
The church at Urbnisi is an extremely large C6th basilica. Urbnisi had one of the earliest Christian communities in Georgia which could have been linked to the fact that the town also had a significant Jewish population in antiquity.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Architecture, C6th, Church, Georgia, Jew, St. Nino, Urbnisi