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17-602: The Gergeti Trinity Church was built in the 14th century by an unknown architect, and is the only cross-cupola church in Khevi province. The separate belltower dates from the same period as the church itself, but built somewhat later. Its isolated location on top of a steep mountain surrounded by the vastness of nature has made it a symbol for Georgia. The 18th century Georgian author Vakhushti Batonishvili wrote that in times of danger, precious relics from Mtskheta , including Saint Nino's Cross were brought here for safekeeping. During

34-539: A dormant 5047-meter high volcano . The area is a popular tourist destination. It is a part of the projected Khevi-Aragvi Biosphere Reserve . Among the important cultural sites of Khevi are the Gergeti Trinity Church (fourteenth century), Garbani Church (ninth to tenth century), Sioni Basilica (ninth century) and castle, Betlemi Monastery Complex (ninth to tenth century), and Sno fortress. The name of this province, literally meaning "a gorge", comes from

51-455: A quadrangular frame and a large cross above it. The cross itself has quadrangles at the base of each arm. In addition to the central window, there is a rounded window to left and a square window to the right. Both southern and western portals have rich decorations around the doors: the astragal , ornamented stripe, rosettes and quadrangles. Each of the ten windows of the dome also has an arch frame, made of astragal. The belltower, standing to

68-466: Is a cross-in-square temple with three rectangular and one rounded (containing the apse ) arms, and two entrances, from the south and from the west. Each arm has a window. Additional five windows of the tholobate provide sufficient illumination. The tholobate is rather stumpy, slightly narrowing in the upper part. The facade is clad in dark-grey stone. Only traces of the original murals remain. The outside decorations can essentially be found only around

85-559: Is included in the modern-day Kazbegi district , Mtskheta-Mtianeti region ( mkhare ). Located on the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus mountains, it comprises three gorges of the rivers Truso, Tergi ( Terek ) and Snostsq’ali. The landscape of Khevi is dominated by alpine meadows dotted with rhododendron , mountain passes and waterfalls , and the Mount Kazbek (locally known as Mkinvartsveri, i.e. “ice-capped”),

102-603: The Darial Pass , which connects North Caucasus with the South Caucasus . Free of typical feudal relations, locals lived in a patriarchal community governed by a khevisberi (i.e. "gorge elder") who functioned as a judge, priest and military leader. The Khevian mountainous communities were regarded as direct vassals of the Georgian crown except for the period from the end of the seventeenth century to 1743, when

119-548: The Soviet era , all religious services were prohibited, but the church remained a popular tourist destination. The church is now an active establishment of the Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church . The church is a popular waypoint for trekkers in the area, and can be reached by a steep 1.5-hour climb up the mountain. The church ensemble includes the church itself, the belltower and the surrounding wall. The church

136-553: The Tsarist military . However, the people of Khevi retained their medieval traditions and a unique form of society until the harsh Soviet rule changed their lifestyle through permanent repressions, forcibly removing several families to the lowlands. 42°41′51″N 44°31′08″E  /  42.6975°N 44.519°E  / 42.6975; 44.519 Tsanareti Tsanareti ( Georgian : წანარეთი ; alternative spellings: Tsanaria , Canaria , Sanaria , Sanaryia )

153-457: The 770s and, according to Ya'qubi , requested help from the Byzantines , Khazars and the as-Saqāliba . The rebellious tribe soon became a dominant force in the historical Kakheti region and played a crucial role, circa 787, in the formation of the principality of Kakheti ruled by a prince with the title of Chorepiscopus . For all practical purposes, the contemporary Arab sources used

170-556: The 8th century Arab historian Masudi , the Tsanars, though Christians , claimed their origin from Nizar b. Maad b. Murad, and then from a branch of the Ukail family. Although this claim is completely rejected by modern scholars, the origins of the Tsanars are still uncertain today. The tribe is sometimes claimed to be an offshoot of Sarmatians . Vladimir Minorsky believes, however, that they were Nakh -speakers. Whatever their origin,

187-517: The Tsanars seem to have adopted, over the centuries, many features of Georgian culture, including language and religion , being subsequently completely commingled with the Georgian people to form one of its ethnographic groups Mokheves , who were known until recently as Tsans (or Tsons ) to the neighbouring Ossetians . In struggle against the Arab occupation Tsanars staged a powerful uprising in

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204-542: The ancient and early medieval district of Tsanareti known to the Georgian annals as Tsanaretis Khevi, i.e. the Tsanar Gorge. People of Khevi were called Mokheves (Mokhevians). History, traditions and lifestyle of the Mokheves are very similar to those of other mountaineers of norhteastern Georgia. Since ancient times, Khevi has been of great strategic and military importance due chiefly to its immediate neighborhood to

221-524: The area was placed under the control of the semi-autonomous Duchy of Aragvi . The fierce resistance offered by the Mokheves to the attempts of the Aragvian lords has been greatly reflected in local folklore as well as classical Georgian literature. The establishment of Russian rule in Georgia (1801) was met with hostility by the mountaineers, who staged an uprising in 1804, which was promptly suppressed by

238-408: The doors and windows. The northern wall is the most simply decorated one: short-armed cross above and rounded ornamented stones below the narrow window. The southern wall, in addition to the cross, has ornamented quadrangles and an arch above the window. The western wall is rather similar, but with simple ornamentation of the window. Rather complex composition is found on the eastern wall. Its window has

255-456: The south of the church, consists of a belfry on a cubic base, which also contains the entrance to the church ensemble. The walls have various small ornaments, as well as a figure of an unknown person on the western side. 42°39′45″N 44°37′13″E  /  42.66250°N 44.62028°E  / 42.66250; 44.62028 Khevi Khevi ( Georgian : ხევი ) is a small historical-geographic area in northeastern Georgia . It

272-466: The word Sanãryia to designate the principality in general. However, the Tsanars seem to have been significantly weakened by the early 9th century, enabling their rival clan of the Gardabanians to install their chief Vache as a Chorepiscopus of Kakheti in the 830s. By the end of the 10th century, Tsanareti fell under the kingdom of Hereti , whose king John Senekerim adopted the title of " King of

289-595: Was a historic district ( Khevi ) in the early medieval Caucasus , lying chiefly in what is now the northeastern corner in Georgia ’s region of Mtskheta-Mtianeti . In the narrow sense of the term Tsanareti (reduced later simply to Khevi ) was applied by the medieval Georgian annals to the area around the Darial Pass , inhabited by the Tsanars . This warlike tribe was already known as the Sanars to Ptolemy . According to

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