World Heritage Identification Number: 710
World Heritage since: 1994
Category: Cultural Heritage
WHE Type: Religious Sites & Sacred Architecture
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇬🇪 Georgia
Continent: Asia
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
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Gelati Monastery: A Medieval Masterpiece in Western Georgia
The Gelati Monastery, located in the Imereti region of western Georgia, stands as a testament to the architectural prowess and cultural significance of medieval Georgia. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, this monumental complex offers a glimpse into the Golden Age of Georgia, a period marked by political strength, economic growth, and intellectual flourishing.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
Founded in 1106 in the west of Georgia, the Monastery of Gelati is a masterpiece of the Golden Age of medieval Georgia, a period of political strength and economic growth between the 11th and 13th centuries. It is characterized by the facades of smoothly hewn large blocks, balanced proportions and blind arches for exterior decoration. The Gelati monastery, one of the largest medieval Orthodox monasteries, was also a centre of science and education and the Academy it housed was one of the most important centres of culture in ancient Georgia.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (iv): Gelati Monastery is the masterpiece of the architecture of the “Golden Age” of Georgia and the best representative of its architectural style, characterized by the full facing of smoothly hewn large blocks, perfectly balanced proportions, and the exterior decoration of blind arches. The main church of the monastery is one of the most important examples of the cross-in-square architectural type that had a crucial role in the East Christian church architecture from the 7th century onwards. Gelati is one of the largest Medieval Orthodox monasteries, distinguished for its harmony with its natural setting and a well thought-out overall planning concept. The main church of the Gelati Monastery is the only Medieval monument in the larger historic region of Eastern Asia Minor and the Caucasus that still has well-preserved mosaic decoration, comparable with the best Byzantine mosaics, as well as having the largest ensemble of paintings of the middle Byzantine, late Byzantine, and post-Byzantine periods in Georgia, including more than 40 portraits of kings, queens, and high clerics and the earliest depiction of the seven Ecumenical Councils.
Encyclopedia Record: Gelati Monastery
Gelati is a medieval monastic complex near Kutaisi in the Imereti region of western Georgia. One of the first monasteries in Georgia, it was founded in 1106 by King David IV of Georgia as a monastic and educational center.Additional Site Details
Area: 4.2 hectares
Number of Components: 1
Coordinates: 42.2947222222 , 42.7683333333
Image
© Ihor Burliai, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
