Abstract:
Among historical documents of Khobi Monastery, one of the significant
document is the “List of candles received and contributed to Khobi”, that
contains the taxes of the church candels of the serfs of Khobi monastery, issued
by Grigol Lortkipanidze, Catholicos of the Abkhazians (i.e. of Western Georgians).
The document is supposedly issued after 1712 and before 1733. The serfs
mentioned in the documents and belonging to the monastery are also mentioned
among those contributed to Catholicate of Abkhazia (Western Georgia). Two
different church seigneuries could not have common property. Conducted researches
showed that Khobi Monastery was the monastery of Abkhazian Catholicate
and consequently, they owned common serfs.
With the incentive of Grigol Lortkipanidze, the serfs belonging to Khobi
Monastery are charged with the candle tax only, similar to the other Catholicate
serfs.
In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, in result of processes ongoing in
Abkhazia, when the territory between rivers Ghalidzga and Enguri was abandoned
by local population and most Catholicate serfs scattered, due to efforts of
Grigol Lortkipanidze, the serfs living in village Nazhaneuli were settled in
Khobi, as the estate belonging to Catholicate and thus maintained them.
Periodically, Khobi Monastery served as the residence of Catholicos. Documents
clearly evidence the political support to the new political rulers of Odishi
Samtavro (political unit) from the side of Grigol Lortkipanidze. Levan IV,
representative of the old dynasty of Dadiani is always mentioned in pejorative
and neglectful form, compared with Giorgi Lipartiani, representative of Chikvani.
In Odishi Samtavro, activation of the Catholicos of Abkhazia and transformation
of Khobi Monastery into the Catholicate center again was conditioned
by instable political situation in Imereti Kingdom. Catholicos Grigol is the supporter
of Chikvani, the new dynasty of Odishi Samtavro and attempts to create
powerful basis through collaboration with them.
