The Chulevi monastery of St. George (Georgian: ჭულევის მონასტერი) is a 14th-century Georgian Orthodox monastic church located in Georgia's southwest region of Samtskhe-Javakheti.
The Chulevi monastery sits on the left bank of the Kvabliani river, near the town of Adigeni in the historic province of Samtskhe. The monastery is alternatively known as Chule (ჭულე) or Chulebi (ჭულები). The site was home to a monastic community already in the 11th century, but it was in the latter part of the 14th century that the current edifice was constructed to become a major religious and cultural center in south Georgia. An inscription in the medieval Georgian asomtavruli script reveals the name of the artist Arsen who frescoed the interior of Chulevi in 1381. The murals depict, inter alia, a group portrait of the local princely house of Jaqeli, patrons of the monastery.
The Chulevi monastery shares a series of common features with the contemporary and nearby located churches of Zarzma and Sapara such as the typically elongated overall plan and the interior space, rectangular shape with no projections, a dome resting upon the walls of the altar and two cross-shaped pillars, the dome tholobate containing twelve windows with half of them false.
At the same time, Chulevi is an example of decline in Georgian architecture and monumental painting due to two hundred years of Mongol dominance.[1]
After the Ottoman conquest of the area, the Chulevi monastery declined and had been completely abandoned by 1595. The locals, still Christian at that time, saved the bells and some other church items by burying them in the adjacent wood. The bells were accidentally discovered in the 1980s and donated to the Akhaltsikhe local museum but were eventually turned over to the monastery once it was restored to the Georgian Orthodox Church in October 1999.
A team of Russian architects attempted, unsuccessfully, to repair the church in 1935/36 and several architectural details were lost in the process. Another attempt at rehabilitation was made in the 1970s and 1980s but was then interrupted. It was not until 2003 that systematic reconstruction fieldworks were launched and the monastery has largely been repaired since then.
^Закарая, П. (1983) Памятники Восточной Грузии. Искусство, Москва, 376 с. [Zakaraya, P. Monuments of Eastern Georgia](In Russian)
The Chulevimonastery of St. George (Georgian: ჭულევის მონასტერი) is a 14th-century Georgian Orthodox monastic church located in Georgia's southwest region...
The Monastery of Iviron (Georgian: ქართველთა მონასტერი, romanized: kartvelta monast'eri; Greek: Μονή Ιβήρων, romanized: Monḗ Ivirōn) is an Eastern Orthodox...
(Georgian: დავითგარეჯის სამონასტრო კომპლექსი) is a rock-hewn Georgian Orthodox monastery complex located in the Kakheti region of Eastern Georgia, on the half-desert...
Alaverdi Monastery (Georgian: ალავერდის მონასტერი, romanized: alaverdis monast'eri) is a Georgian Eastern Orthodox monastery located 25 km (16 mi) from...
of the first monasteries in Georgia, it was founded in 1106 by King David IV of Georgia as a monastic and educational center. The monastery is an exemplar...
windows. The examples include Gergeti Trinity Church, Zarzma and Chulevimonastery. Architecture portal Darbazi Закарая, П. (1983) Памятники Восточной...
archaically the Petritsoni Monastery or Monastery of the Mother of God Petritzonitissa is a major Eastern Orthodox monastery in Southern Bulgaria. It is...
The name of this monastery translated as the "Monastery of the Cross". For other monasteries named after the cross, see Monastery of the Cross (disambiguation)...
The Monastery of St. Nino at Bodbe (Georgian: ბოდბის წმინდა ნინოს მონასტერი, bodbis ts’minda Ninos monasteri) is a Georgian Orthodox monastic complex...
Khakhuli Monastery (Georgian: ხახულის მონასტერი, Turkish: Haho/Bağbaşi) was a Georgian Orthodox monastery in historical Medieval Georgian Kingdom of Tao...
as their tomb. The belfry is on the upper floor. Chulevimonastery Zarzma monastery Balda Monastery of St. Mary's Assumption Noble, John; Kohn, Michael;...
to the monastery. The upper floor is an octagon with eight arches. It holds the belfry. Other churches belong to the hall type. Chulevimonastery Sapara...
The Monastery of the Cross (Arabic: دير الصليب, Dayr al-Salīb; Hebrew: מנזר המצלבה; Greek: Μοναστήρι του Σταυρού, Georgian: ჯვრის მონასტერი, jvris monast'eri)...
Turkish: Öşkvank Manastırı or Oşki Manastırı) is a Georgian Eastern Orthodox monastery from the second half of the 10th century located in the historic province...
Samtavro Monastery (Georgian: სამთავროს მონასტერი) is a Georgian Orthodox Christian monastery complex that combines Samtavro Transfiguration Church and...
The Gialia Monastery (Georgian: ღალია, Ğalia; Greek: Γιαλιά) is the ruined medieval Georgian Orthodox monastery at the village of Gialia, Paphos District...
Motsameta monastery is a complex of monasteries at the Imereti region, approximately 6 km northeast of the center of Kutaisi, Georgia. The monastery is picturesquely...
The Betania Monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God (Georgian: ბეთანიის ყოვლადწმინდა ღვთისმშობლის შობის მონასტერი) commonly known as Betania or...
Vardzia (Georgian: ვარძია [vaɾdzia]) is a cave monastery site in southern Georgia, excavated from the slopes of the Erusheti Mountain on the left bank...
Monastery of Saint Barlaam (Georgian: ბარლაამწმინდა; Turkish: Barlaham Manastırı) is a 10th-century Georgian monastery in Antioch, modern-day Turkey's...
Martvili Monastery (Georgian: მარტვილის მონასტერი) is a Georgian monastic complex located in the village of Martvili in the Martvili District of the Samegrelo-Zemo...
Khuchap Monastery (Armenian: Խուճապ, romanized: Xučap) or Khujabi Monastery (Georgian: ხუჯაბი, romanized: khujabi) is a monastery dedicated to Our Lady...
The Matani monastery (Georgian: მატნის ცხრაკარას მონასტერი) is part of a complex of buildings in the mountains 3–5 km west of the town of Matani in the...
New Athos Monastery (Russian: Новоафонский монастырь, Novoafonskiy monastir’; Georgian: ახალი ათონის მონასტერი, romanized: akhali atonis monast'eri, Abkhaz:...
Tejharuyk (Armenian: Թեժառույք) is a 12th-century walled Armenian monastery located upon a wooded hill just southwest of the village of Meghradzor in...
(Georgian: ანჩის მონასტერი, anchis monasteri) was a medieval Georgian monastery and cathedral church of the Bishopric of Ancha, located near what is now...
Global Information
