Rkoni
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Rkoni ( Georgian რკონი ; rkʼɔnɪ ) is a Georgian Orthodox monastery in the Georgian Inner Carthage Region , in the municipality of Kaspi , near the village of Chachubeti (the former village of Rkoni).
The monastery complex of Rkoni rises in a high-lying clearing, protected by steep mountain slopes. The way to the monastery leads over a single-arched stone bridge that can still be walked on - it was donated by the Georgian Queen Tamar and, due to its decay, has a usable width of barely two meters.
Over the centuries, two churches and several buildings were built on the monastery grounds, which were enclosed by a wall. A bell tower called the believers to worship. The construction plan of the monastery shows a sacred area around the churches and a secular area for the supply of the faithful.
The two churches are well preserved in different ways: The Mother Jesus Church is in the center of the complex, it is the larger of the two churches. It was built in the 7th century. The church is a three-aisled basilica . The side aisles are separated from the main nave by two massive pillars. The smaller church (or chapel) was dedicated to John the Baptist .
Carefully worked red sandstone was used as building material for both churches, brownish and yellowish tones. The damaged areas were only replaced selectively by spoilage and stones of a different color, so perhaps the original design can be reconstructed. The cross symbols ( Bolnissi crosses ) and decorative ornaments used in the facade are still in a relatively good state of preservation despite the weather conditions.
Later repairs and additional supporting pillars were only carried out by laypeople, probably by the monastery staff themselves, with small-format limestone. A damaged bell tower was supplemented with brickwork to the required height. The masonry remained unplastered.
Recently the roofs have been secured with new metal sheets. Probably too late, because the interior of the church is far more affected by decay than the outer shell suggests. This is especially true for some sculptures that are only present in fragments: Damage is based on plaster detachment from the masonry and fungal attack, and willful damage can also be identified. The penetrating moisture promotes the mineral salts contained in the stone to the surface with the explosive effects of salt crystallization. The water that freezes in winter causes cracks and also destroys the surface of the stone.
literature
- The Description of Georgian Historical and Cultural Monuments, Volume 5., Tbilisi, 1990, pp. 184-189 (საქართველოს ისტორიისა და კულტურის ძეგლთა აღწერილობა, ტ. V, თბ. 1990 წ. გვ. 184-189)
Web links
- Rkoni, description, ჩვენი საუნჯე (Georgian)
Coordinates: 41 ° 48 ′ 11.9 ″ N , 44 ° 13 ′ 17.1 ″ E