Everything about Tbilisi Sameba Cathedral totally explained
The
Tbilisi Holy Trinity Cathedral commonly known as
Sameba (for
Trinity) is the main
Georgian Orthodox Christian cathedral, located in
Tbilisi, the capital of
Georgia. Constructed between
1995 and
2004, it's the largest religious building not only in Georgia but in the region of
South Caucasus, and is listed among the largest
Orthodox churches in the world.
History
The idea to build a new cathedral to commemorate 1,500 years of
autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church and 2,000 years from the birth of
Jesus emerged as early as
1989, a crucial year for the national awakening of the then-
Soviet republic of Georgia. In May 1989, the Georgian Orthodox Patriarchate and the authorities of Tbilisi announced an international contest for the project of the "Holy Trinity Cathedral." No winner was chosen at the first round of the contest when more than a hundred projects were submitted. Finally the project of architect
Archil Mindiashvili won. The subsequent turbulent years of
civil unrest deferred this grandiose plan for six years, and it wasn't until
November 23 1995 when the foundation for the new cathedral was finally laid. The construction of the church as a "symbol of the Georgian national and spiritual revival" has been sponsored through mostly anonymous donations by several businessmen and common citizens. On November 23
2004, on
St. George's Day, the cathedral was consecrated by
Catholicos Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II and the high-ranking representatives of fellow Orthodox churches of the world. The ceremonial was also attended by the leaders of other religious and confessional communities of Georgia as well as political leaders.
Architecture
The Sameba Cathedral is erected on the
Elia Hill, which rises above the left bank of the
Kura River (Mtkvari) in the historic neighborhood of
Avlabari in
Old Tbilisi, partially on the territory of the demolished
Armenian cemetery Khojevank.
The Cathedral represents the synthesis of traditional styles dominating the Georgian church architecture at various stages of its history, but also contains several innovations.
The Sameba Cathedral is a
cruciform church crowned with a
dome over a
crossing, which rests upon eight columns and creates the center. At the same time, the parameters of the dome is independent from the
apses, imparting a more monumental look to the dome and the church in general. The dome is surmounted by a 7.5 meter-high
cross covered with gold.
The Cathedral consists of nine
chapels (chapels of the
Archangels,
John the Baptist,
Saint Nino,
Saint George,
Saint Nicholas, the
Twelve Apostles, and of the
All Saints), five of them situated in a large underground compartment. The overall area of the cathedral, including a large
narthex, is 5,000 square meters and the volume it occupies is 137 cubic meters. The inner perimeter of the church is 56 m X 44 m. The space totals 2,380 square meters. The height of the cathedral from the ground to the top of the cross is 84 meters. The underground chapel occupies 35,550 cubic meters. The height is 13 meters.
Natural materials are used for construction. The floor is made of marble tiles and the
altar will also be decorated with
mosaic. The painting of the murals is being executed by a group of artists guided by
Amiran Goglidze.
The Sameba complex, whose construction isn't yet completed, consists of the main cathedral church, a freely-standing bell-tower, the residence of the Patriarch, a monastery, a clerical seminary and theological academy, several workshops, places for rest, etc.
Further Information
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