Giorgi Gagoshidze

University of Georgia, Tamaz Beradze Institute of Kartvelology
Chief Research Fellow
Cultural Studies, Art History
Doctor of Art History
Tbilisi, Georgia
g.gagoshidze@ug.edu.ge

The Life of Ioane of Zedazeni, preserved in manuscript collection N/Sin.geo-50 in the library of St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai, begins with a list of the Assyrian Fathers, followed by a short chronicle concerning Ezderios (Isidore) of Samtavisi and Theodosios of Rekha. The account presented here is not attested in any other source connected with the Assyrian Fathers. It concerns the origins of these monks, their establishment at Samtavisi and Rekha, and the miraculous creation of icons of the Savior.

Archaeological excavations conducted at Samtavisi Monastery between 2004 and 2012 revealed the remains of an early medieval three-aisled basilica adjoining, on its southern side, the domed church built in 1030. The heavily damaged basilica was deliberately dismantled and filled with earth sometime after the 1030s. The research identified traces of the original church of the Assyrian Father Ezderios, dating to the first half of the sixth century, as well as his burial place within the church.

The identification of the monastery of Theodosios of Rekha is more problematic. Different views have been expressed regarding the location of the toponym Rekha associated with the Assyrian Father. According to the manuscript, the distance between Samtavisi Monastery and the monastery at Rekha was not great, since the monks could cover the route within a relatively short period of time. I therefore suggest that the monastery of Theodosios of Rekha, referred to in the manuscript as the “Cave of Rekha,” should be sought in the valley of the River Lekhura, formerly known as Rekhula, near the now-vanished settlement of Rekha.

It may possibly be identified with the ruins of the Kvabismana Monastery, located in a forest east of the village of Sakorintlo, approximately two to three kilometers from the small village of Monasteri. The site is also mentioned in Vakhushti’s description: “East of Rekha there is the monastery of Kvabismana, where an abbot resides.” Today the ruins are inaccessible because they lie beyond the Russian occupation line, and any discussion of the site must therefore rely primarily on archival materials.

The monastery preserves the remains of a large hall church with a projecting apse, as well as the ruins of a bell tower, refectory, and other monastic structures. According to a preliminary assessment, the church was built in the ninth–tenth centuries. A stone slab bearing an Asomtavruli inscription, formerly preserved there, is now kept in the Akhalgori Museum of Local History.

Kvabismana Monastery is a significant monument of the Lekhura Valley, yet it remains insufficiently studied. Given its proximity to the historical settlement of Rekha and the episcopal cathedral of Samtavisi, as well as its scale and importance, it may plausibly be identified as the monastery founded by the Assyrian Father Theodosios mentioned in manuscript N/Sin.geo-50. A thorough investigation of the site remains a task for future research.