ხანძთის მონასტრის ლოკალიზაციისა და შავშეთ-კლარჯეთის საეკლესიო ისტორიული გეოგრაფიის ზოგიერთი საკითხი

Abstract

Research of history, ethnology, condition of language of historical South- West Georgia has become quite intensive within last twenty years. The main reason of this is restoration of Georgia’s statehood and friendly relations between Georgia and Turkey. As it is known an important part of historical South-West Georgia is within present-day State of Turkey. The Georgian scholars were given an opportunity to visit parts of “Muslim Georgia”, in result of which many important historical-ethnographic facts were determined. It is worthy to mention the progress in the sphere of church architecture researches, while ethnological studies having been conducted actually for the first time. It is known what wide monastic building activities were underway in South-West Georgia of the early Middle Ages. Many monuments of the Georgian culture are preserved till nowadays, however many are so badly damaged that it is difficult to identify them and localize in relevant place. In the Georgian historiography the disputable topic is an issue about the Khandzta Monastery localization. The monastery was founded in ca 782, by the eminent Georgian ecclesiastical figure St. Grigol Khandzteli (Grigol of Khandzta). At present, P. Ingorokva’s consideration concerning the above mentioned issue has mainly been shared: according to this scholar, the Khandzta Monastery is the cathedral existing in the village Porta. P. Ingorokva was not able to visit the relevant region and make immediate observations of the Shavshet-Klarjeti monuments. He relied on the description of Porti church complex made by N. Marr. Some researchers has recently doubted consideration of Porti being Khandzta. ex., M. Paghava stresses that Khandzta is Nuka church. In 2010 we wrote that the Khandzta Monastery had not reached us, that Khandzta existed in the village Ube of Imerkhevi. The main argument proving this idea is toponym “Khandzta” in the vicinity of the village Ube. Any villager of Ube and any resident of surrounding villages are aware of the location of Khandzta. The activities of this year expedition have strengthened the consideration expressed earlier: the Khandzta monastery has not reached us (as well as the Shatberdi Monastery). It existed at the village Ube and it was destroyed. One of the material proofs of the monastery existence can be considered a stone boulder, on which a hand is inscribed (due to this, the territory adjacent to the boulder is called by the local residents “hand of a nepe”). A majority of Shavshet-Klarjeti 12 churches has not reached us. The fate of Khandzta and Shatberdi has been shared by Dabi and Meresa monastery-churches as well, which were also located in the Khandzta Monastery sector in Imerkhevi.