Oshki

File:Monasterio de Oshki.jpg

Monastery of Oshki

Oshki (Georgian: ; Template:Langx or ) is a Georgian Eastern Orthodox monasteryTemplate:Excessive citations inline from the second half of the 10th century located in the historic province of Tao, now part of the territory of Turkey. The main church, dedicated to St John the Baptist, was built between 963 and 973. The monastery is located in the village of Çamlıyamaç, in northeastern Erzurum Province, bordering Artvin Province.

Oshki monastery was a major centre of Georgian literature and enlightenment during the Middle Ages. The monastery is considered "one of the largest and architecturally most complex buildings produced anywhere in the Eastern Christian world."

It is considered one of the four Great Cathedrals of the Georgian Orthodox world.

Architectural sculpture and figurative reliefs

The construction of the monastery at Oshki was sponsored by the Grand duke/King Bagrat II of Tao and David III of Tao.

The blind arches are an important part of the whole decoration. In Oshki they stretch along the outer walls of the church in the south, east and north. It is an early example of the use of decorative blind arches on the facades. They divide the wall in line with the general architectural rhythm. The central part of the facade is mainly decorated with bas-reliefs.

Bas-reliefs, placed high above the central arch, are given the place of honour on the southern facade, which is the main facade of the church. They stand out from the flat surface. The eagle with an animal in his talons probably symbolises victory, and the whole sculptural composition the triumph of the heavenly forces represented by the archangels Michael and Gabriel.

• Engravings from Le Tour du Monde based on drawing by Théophile Deyrolle, who traveled in Turkey and Georgia in the 1870s, documenting, among other things, medieval Georgian monuments on the territory of the Ottoman Empire.
  Engravings from Le Tour du Monde based on drawing by Théophile Deyrolle, who traveled in Turkey and Georgia in the 1870s, documenting, among other things, medieval Georgian monuments on the territory of the Ottoman Empire.
• The Refectory of the Georgian church, Oshki
  The Refectory of the Georgian church, Oshki
• Engravings from Le Tour du Monde based on drawing by Théophile Deyrolle, who traveled in Turkey and Georgia in the 1870s, documenting, among other things, medieval Georgian monuments on the territory of the Ottoman Empire.
  Engravings from Le Tour du Monde based on drawing by Théophile Deyrolle, who traveled in Turkey and Georgia in the 1870s, documenting, among other things, medieval Georgian monuments on the territory of the Ottoman Empire.
• The six-pointed star (Star of David) and Borjgali in Oshki
  The six-pointed star (Star of David) and Borjgali in Oshki

In the province of Tao the power lay in the hands of the ruling dynasty of the Bagrationi, whose members Bagrat eristavt-eristavi and David Magistros are depicted lower down on the same facade, near the deesis, to show that the heavenly forces were the family's patrons. The figures are well proportioned, elegant in contour and form. The static postures of earlier donor portraits give way to free movement, and an equal attempt can be traced in the near three-dimensional renderings of the archangels and the deesis of the southern facade, as well as on a column in the southern gallery. The decorative system of the Oshki church also includes the low reliefs characteristic of the so-called transitional period in medieval Georgian art (8th – 10th centuries), when the old style had not yet given way completely, and new ways were evolving. Sculptors of the different generations must have worked on it. The church in Oshki already shows the tendencies that would eventually develop in the 11th century.

Name and Etymology

There are two different views regarding the etymology of the place name (; ); according to Kakha Shengelia and Valeri Silogava the word () derives from Megrelian word (), meaning "being in the middle"; according to Merab Chukhua, is Laz word and means "dog rose" (rosa canina), which corresponds to Georgian () and Kartvelian (). In Armenian and Turkish languages this monastery is named "Oshk vank" (from Armenian language "cathedral").

Inscriptions

Inscription №1

File:Georgian inscriptions in Oshki monastery.JPG

Inscription in Georgian language, telling who were builders of Oshki.

The first inscription in Oshki temple is drawn with Sanguri (Georgian: ) color and is located over the southern main entrance to the temple. Nowadays 12 lines still exist. All inscriptions are written with Mrgvlovani, the earliest version of Georgian script. The original can be seen on the illustration in the right. The first scientist who explored this inscription was Marie-Félicité Brosset, a French orientalist who specialized in Georgian and Armenian studies. Later these inscriptions were researched by Ekvtime Takaishvili and Wachtang Djobadze. As noted by Wachtang Djobadze, the first inscription gives a lot of information about the temple. It mentions the names of Ktetors of the church – Georgian kings Bagrat Eristavt-Eristavi and David III of Tao. Also there is information about architect of the church – someone called Grigol.

Gallery

• Oshki (963-973), interior, looking east into the main apse
  Oshki (963-973), interior, looking east into the main apse
• Oshki (963-973), south porch
  Oshki (963-973), south porch
• Oshki (963-973), church of St John the Baptist, south facade
  Oshki (963-973), church of St John the Baptist, south facade

External links

• Virtualtao-klarjeti.comTemplate:Category handler – OshkiTemplate:Cbignore, Oshki scriptorium and refectoryTemplate:Cbignore;
• Leila Khuskivadze, Georgian-Byzantine relations on the example of tao-Klarjeti relief sculptures, In Proceedings of the 21st International Congress of Byzantine StudiesProceedings of the 21st International Congress of Byzantine Studies, International Congress of Byzantine Studies, London, 21–26 August 2006, P. 300-301, Template:ISBN., Google Books
• Speaking Monuments: Oshkavank, Armenian Public TV