At Zegaani in Kakheti there is a complex of three early churches. The fifth-century church of St. Marina is exceptionally small and its nearest comparable building in terms of design seems to be the tiny church of St. Nino in Samtavro, Mtskheta. The interior of the space is richly frescoed with an (unpublished) sixteenth to seventeenth century fresco cycle, that is currently open to the elements given the lack of windows and doors on the church. There is a simple, single naved church dedicated to the Archangels of an inter determinate date and a large three-church basilica dedicated to the Virgin and of an architectural type very similar to the basilica to the north of the valley at Nekresi. Like the Nekresi basilica, this church is believed to date to the sixth to seventh century. This basilica was in the process of being resorted at the time of the visit as the site was being re-established as a working monastery.
Creator
Emma Loosley
Date of Visit
4th August 2016
Contributor
Emma Loosley
Rights
Metadata and all media released under Creative Commons
unless otherwise indicated
Type
Architecture
Tags
Archangels, Basilica, C16th-C17th, C5th, C6th-C7th, Church, Fresco, Georgia, Kakheti, Monastery, St. Marina, Three Church Basilica, Triple Basilica, Virgin Mary, Zegaani
Collection
The Early Christian Architecture of Georgia
Item Type
Architecture
Citation
Emma Loosley, “Zegaani,” Architecture and Asceticism, accessed December 22, 2024, https://architectureandasceticism.exeter.ac.uk/items/show/743.