ATINATI: BEAUTIFUL GEORGIA - VARDZIA

“Vardzia’s rock-hewn architectural ensemble is situated in historic Javakheti, South Georgia, on the left bank of the river Mtkvari. It served as fortification, as well as religious and habitation purposes, and has outstanding artistic and historical significance. It is one of the most fascinating and important examples of rock-cut sites, not only in Georgia, but also worldwide.

Vardzia monastery was created in the most brilliant epoch of Georgian statehood and culture - during the reign of Queen Tamar (1184-1212.), who was the only woman from the Bagrationi royal house to rule in her own right, and is referred to with the title of King.

The centre of the whole ensemble is the church of the Dormition of the Virgin, a hall church with an annex from the south. The church is hewn into the body-rock, and only the two large arches of the tall porch on the south façade and fragments of the belfry were built from ashlar (13th -14th cc.).
The interior of the church is entirely decorated with murals (1186) that rank among the masterpieces of medieval Georgian art”.

“Murals of the Rock-hewn Church at Vardzia”

Please read the article by Mariam Didebulidze at

Music by - Erekle Getsadze

ATINATI

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ATINATI is a new media platform, created with the purpose of producing and curating high-quality digital content about Georgian art and culture. Considering significant scarcity of information about the country and simultaneous interest it has sparked among global audiences over the course of the past years, the platform aspires to bring Georgian culture into focus.

Literally meaning “the first ray of light that permeates darkness” or, figuratively speaking, “first piece of knowledge, clarity” in Georgian, ATINATI is an unprecedented project that promises to manifest local art, fashion, architecture, literature, theater, film, and a variety of cultural realms.
The greatest asset of ATINATI is a sizeable group of its contributors, who are essentially the movers and shakers behind modern-day cultural transformations in Georgia. It is through such superior curated content that ATINATI envisions providing readers around the globe with fascinating stories, features and up-to-date news from the very crossroads of the East and West.