Photo credit: Ivane Goliadze at Panoramio
On a column near the village of Katschki in West Georgia, not far from the city of Chiatura, a Church was constructed, probably between the 6th and 8th centuries, on the site of a pagan temple. An Orthodox priest, Fr Maxim, has lived in the Church for 18 years. He is quoted as saying:
Since I was a child I dreamed of settling on the top of this pillar as other hermits did in ancient times. When I came here with my friends I envied the monk who had lived there long ago – now I am here too I am happy.The Church it is currently being restored by some volunteers. It does look a bit of a mess but I have seen a Church in Cyprus in no better a state and without the need to climb a rusty ladder to get to it.
Thanks to the Daily Mail for this extraordinary story: The high church: Chapel that really IS that little bit closer to God. See also the article at the Meglaithic Portal for some more images. Thanks to that site, I got the latitude and longitude: 42.287632N, 43.215708E. Google maps does not even feature Chiatura but Open Street Map does a better job, including not only the city, but Katschki itself
The other photos by Ivane Goliadze at Panoramio are well worth browsing. We always hear of Georgia as a "former Soviet republic" and perhaps imagine it as a war-torn mess. I have no idea what it might be like to live there but Ivane's photos show it as a place of beauty that made me wonder wistfully how one might visit.
3 comments:
Father
I visited the Caucasus, between the Caspian and Black Seas, on my return from Afghanistan in 2007. My journey started in Azerbaijan and led through Georgia and into Armenia.
Georgia is a lovely country with a strong Christian identity, despite the Soviet dominance in the 20th Century, and there are many interesting Georgian Orthodox churches with wonderful liturgies. Although English is not widely spoken, it is easy to get by and people are generally friendly. Travelling around the country is straightforward using shared taxis, buses and trains. Tbilisi, the capital, has connections from London.
Hope that helps.
Regards
Neville McNally
Father, Google Meteora and find some magnificent monastries "in the air" in Greece. When we were there some 5 years ago there were we believe 7 still occupied. A bit closer to home for a trip! Dorothy and Barry Simmons
My husband visited Georgia about a year and a half ago - for business - totally dreading it after reading the FO website. He found a beautiful country with a strong Christian identity. The clients took him to visit many Churches and Monasteries, and he was impressed bby all the young people praying in the Churches.
If he goes again I will too!
Post a Comment