THE CHURCH OF THE VIRGIN MARY OF QANCHAVETI AND ITS TREASURY

Abstract

The Ksani Valley, within its present administrative boundaries, encompasses villages belonging to three municipalities: from the sources of Lake Keli to Odzisi — the Akhalgori Municipality; Odzisi itself — the Dusheti Municipality; and the settlements situated south of Odzisi — the Mtskheta Municipality.

Throughout centuries, this ancient and historically significant valley was home to two powerful feudal domains — the Duchy of Ksani and the Samukhranbatono Principality — both of which played an essential role in the political and cultural life of Georgia.

The Ksani Valley has long been distinguished by its unique architectural monuments, some of which possess global historical significance. Among these is the Church of the Virgin Mary of Qanchaveti, also known as Kaveni, located in the Akhalgori Municipality — a territory occupied since the August 2008 war. This church once served as a repository of invaluable elements of Georgia’s national heritage, including manuscript books and other precious items donated to the temple.

The present study collects and analyzes historical sources, periodical publications, and folklore-based records concerning Qanchaveti (Kaveni). These materials include eyewitness accounts describing the church’s architectural appearance, its historical background, and the priceless artifacts once preserved there — many of which, regrettably, have been lost over time.

Special attention is devoted to one of the most important monuments of Georgian historiography — the “Chronicle of Qanchaveti” (Jamngulani), which contains forty-eight historical annotations written between 1444 and 1754. The Jamngulani was donated to the Gethsemane Monastery of the Virgin Mary of Kaveni by Eudemus, Archbishop of Kartli, a member of the noble Ratishvili family — the hereditary owners of Qanchaveti and descendants of the Dukes of Ksani.

Among Kaveni’s unique treasures is also a Synaxarion (a concise collection of the lives of saints) dating from the 13th–14th centuries, now preserved in the Manuscripts Department of the Public Library in Saint Petersburg. This manuscript was taken to Russia by the Georgian scholar and clergyman Mikheil Sabinin.

The manuscript items and donations associated with the Qanchaveti Monastery were thoroughly described by the distinguished scholar Ekvtime Taqaishvili, whose work is given due consideration in the present study. The article further discusses the church’s estates and properties, the remaining fortification structures within Qanchaveti, and the Chapel of Father Basil.