Nino Silagadze
Associate Professor in Art History at Faculty of Humanities, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
Abstract
The present paper covers some Medieval architectural complexes and relief-sculptures being beyond thorough academic research. Now in Tetritskaro municipality, these monuments belong to historical province Kvemo (Lower) Kartli. They are concentrated around the old town Samshvilde.Village Dmanisi and neighboring places in Tetritskaro municipality have three small Medieval one-nave churches lacking scholarly commentaries. One of them, one-nave church labeled after St. Virgin by the local folk, has stoa from the North and is dated by the 6th-7th cc. We think of southern stoa as having been added later.The so-called Archangel church, situated at the distance of 1km. from the village, is one-nave construction of the second half of the 10th c. with the relief-stellae scattered nearby, Armenian khachkar (the 12th-13th cc.) among them.Situated on the road towards Phitareti, the third church seems to be reconstructed for several times. Additionally and unfortunately, it is badly damaged. We think about Early Middle Ages as of time of its construction, though, gradually, it has been changed in different times.
