KSANI GORGE AND THE HOLY LAND

Abstract

In the current article, we try to analyze the relations of the Georgian noblemen with the Holy Land, in particular the relations of Shida Kartli noblemen. In the Middle Ages, Georgian nobles had a very active relationship with the Holy Land. Not only the royal government of Georgia paid great attention to the sanctuaries in Jerusalem, but also various feudal clans, which is proven by their donations to the monasteries founded by Georgian clerics, by the multiple financial aid sent from Georgia, and by the estates given to religious centers on the territory of our country. Jerusalem Jvari Monastery (Jerusalem Monastery of the Cross) had its properties in different parts of the country, including in Shida Kartli, namely village In Dirbi, where was the residence of the Archimandrite of the Jerusalem Cross Monastery. According to Vakhushti Batonishvili, the leader in Dirbi "sends the harvest as silver to Jerusalem". Dirbi was donated by Simon I (1556-1600 AD) to the Jerusalem Cross Monastery, this donation was renewed first by Kartli King Rostom, and later by Vakhtang V, and finally by Erekle II (in 1786). In Shida Kartli, the village of Tergvisi belonged to the Holy Sepulcher of the Savior, which King Luarsab II of Kartli donated as a place of worship for Christians in 1624. A slightly later document (1640) reveals that Tergvisi was supervised by a Georgian clergyman who served at Christ's tomb. The territory surrounding the village of Kheiti belonged to the Holy Sepulcher of the Savior in the Didi Liakhvi gorge (the village of Kheiti is adjacent to the village of Nikozi). A document dated 1624 reveals that the area at the end of Kheiti ("Lands at the end of Rkhuiti") was donated to the Dagladzes’ for the tomb of Christ. The estates of the Dagladzes, the feudal lineage of the Dogladzes, were owned by the Tavkhelisdzes, as can be seen from the deed given by Khela Tavkhelisdze, the patron of Tiri Monastery in 1432. The feudal house of the Dogladzes collapsed at the beginning of the 15th century, and their estates were taken over by neighboring nobles. In the agape preserved in the Cross Monastery of Jerusalem, there is very interesting information about the preserved Georgian dignitaries who provided assistance to this outstanding religious center in the Holy Land.

Keywords: Holy Land, Georgian Nobles, Shida Kartli, Jerusalme Monastery of the Cross, Georgian clerics.