THE UNKNOWN FACET OF MIKAEL MODREKILI’S ACTIVITY

Abstract

Mikael Modrekili is one of the greatest figures in our history. In the years 978-88, at Shatberdi monastery, he compiled "Iadgari Neumes", one of the unique specimens of Christian culture. As an editor he did a great deal of job. He is also the author of a number of hymns preserved in this collection.

In this paper, we deal with Mikael Modrekili’s hymn dedicated to "All Saints", shedding light on a previously unknown facet of his work.

The study is based on the available scholarly literature on calendar indicators and the publication of this hymn itself.

As a result of the study, the following circumstances have been identified:

This hymn by Mikael Modrekili is actually a "Calendar" containing 425 commemorations. These commemorations are searched and grouped by Mikael Modrekil himself.

Mikael Modrekili's "Calendar" is much more extensive than previous one or contemporary collections of the same kind.

This "Calendar" is dedicated to the commemoration of "All Saints", which was a common practice in Georgian church tradition.

Unlike other analogous collections, Mikael Modrekili sometimes dedicates the hymns to the list of saints in addition to commemorations.

This "Calendar" also includes commemorations of Georgian martyrs. Mikael Modrekili summarizes their accomplishments briefly and to the point.

One of the main sources of Mikael Modrekili's "calendar" is the ancient hagiographic texts known as "Keimena".

As a hymnographer and a liturgist, Mikael Modrekil appears to have put a lot of effort in the creation of this important monument.

Key words: Mikael Modrekili, "Iadgari Neumes", "All Saints", “Calendar”, “Keimena”.