Sioni Church (Ateni)
The Atenier Sioni Church ( Georgian ატენის სიონი Atenis Sioni ) is a Georgian Orthodox church in the Georgian Inner Kartlien region , in the municipality of Gori , around ten kilometers south of the city of Gori , near the village of Ateni . The church is located in the valley of the river Tana ( Georgian ტანა ), which is known not only for its historical monuments, but also for its landscapes and wine. The name "Sioni" refers to Mount Zion in Jerusalem . The Sioni Church dates from the 7th century.
Sioni is a cross-domed church (24 × 19.22 m). It is made of rectangular, greenish-gray stone. The model for the Atenian Sioni Church was the former Jvari monastery in Mtskheta .
The walls of the church contain the first inscriptions with Nuschuri or Nuscha-Chuzuri , an early version of the Georgian alphabet from 835. First examples of Mchedruli , today's Georgian script, can also be found in the Atenier Sioni Church; they are from the 980s. One of the inscriptions on the church commemorates Adarnasse, the first documented Georgian Bagratid , father of Ashot I , the founder of the new royal dynasty of Georgia.
Near the church are the ruins of the medieval fortress town of Ateni (today's villages Didi Ateni and Patara Ateni).
See also
- Sioni Cathedral (Tbilisi)
- Sioni Church (Bolnissi)
Web links
- Ateni. Art History Institute in Florence
Individual evidence
- ↑ Stephen H. Rapp: Studies In Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts . Peeters Bvba, 2003, ISBN 90-429-1318-5 , p. 383.
Coordinates: 41 ° 54 ′ 14 " N , 44 ° 5 ′ 45" E