VILLAGE GERI AND GERI ST. GIORGI‘S CHURCH

Giorgi Sosiashvili; Ioseb Alimbarashvili

Giorgi Sosiashvili Doctor of History, Professor at Gori State University http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2406-8662
Ioseb Alimbarashvili Doctor of History, Assoc. Professor at Gori State Teaching University http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0347-1815

Abstract

After the war in 2008, historically Georgian villages of Didi and Patara Liakhvi, Ksani and Prone gorges have been left beyond barbed-wire, Geri is one of the villages, the famous church of St. Giorgi is located in the village. The warshiping place was venerated by Georgians and Ossetians alike. Unfortunatelly, after Russian military aggression the way to St. Giorgi church of Geri is indeterminatelly closed for Georgian pilgrims. In this presented essey we have endeavoured to revive the past and the history of village Geri, the church of St. Giorgi and renowned Geristoba.

Village Geri is located in the headstream of Patara Liakhvi gorge, on the south sloap of Gudisi ringe, 1480m abave sea level, the distance from the village to Tskhinvali is only 22km and was a unit of Tskhinvali Region until 1991, a little river: Geris Khevi, breanch of little Liakhvi passes the village, the source of the rever is Mountain called : „Mskhlebis Mta“. As Vakhushti Batonishvili discrubes: From the west, Geris Khevi joines rever Liakhvi, which begins in the Mskhlebis Mta and continues to the south. Osetian people live here, called: Along with Vanati Savakhtango and Vanati, Satskhenisi and Beloti are joined by Potrisis ravine from above, deep, impenetrable and rocky place, the river flows between Geri and Shuatskhviri mountain. Ossetian people live in Shuatskhviri.

Keywords: Geri, Patara Likahvi gorge, Geri St. Giorgi church, Geristoba.