17th century
location: 42.16393495890927, 44.70305416983519
Ananuri Castle is located on the left bank of the Aragvi River, along the famous original Georgian military highway. The complex was likely built in the early 17th century as a strategic fortress for the Duchy of Aragvi, a domain of local nobles crucial to controlling the trade and military route through the Greater Caucasus. It was ruled by dukes – eristavi in Georgian. The castle’s construction coincided with a period of regional instability, marked by territorial conflicts among Georgian kingdoms and external threats from the Persian and Ottoman Empires. It was not only a military stronghold, but also a symbol of local power and ecclesiastical patronage. However, in 1743 a rebellion put an end to the duchy, which later led to the power over the territory of the King of Kartli, Teimuraz II. During the 19th century the castle was abandoned. However, the churches are still used for religious services.
Originally, there was also a lower fortified complex, now in ruins and occupied by local people. The higher complex, now known as Ananuri Castle, consists of a curtain wall with towers, three churches, a tower with a stepped pyramidal roof, a bell tower, a spring and a reservoir. The castle walls are reinforced with battlements and have several towers. The most notable is the largest rectangular tower called Sheupovari or “Fearless”, which also served as a dwelling. The tower with a stepped pyramidal roof is probably of the Tushetian or Khevsur type and was built in the late Middle Ages, before the 16th century.
The earliest church of the complex, called Mkurnauli, is probably the smallest single-nave church, located between the edge of the upper and lower fortresses, so that the western wall is adjacent to the fortress wall. It is a hall type church with a recessed apse. Initially it had a gabled roof, but later it was transformed into a flat roof and became the base for the bell tower. There is no exact dating of this church, most probably it was built on the edge of the 16th and 17th centuries.
There is also another church inside the citadel that was built at the same time, called Gvtaeba. The church has a cross-domed structure and is made of both brick and rubble. Although the church has no stone carvings outside, there are murals inside. Inside the church there are some graves of the Aragvi dukes, including the grave of Duke Edisher in the central part of the church with a special stone canopy.
The largest and most ornate church is that built in 1698. It was built with hewn stone blocks and has a cross-domed plan, with a recessed apse. What distinguishes this church is the rich stone decoration of its outer walls. The southern wall of the church is especially richly decorated. There is a large interlaced cross, on the sides of which are trees of life, lions, archangels, cherubs, dragons and deer. There are two entrances, on the southern and northern side, whose arches are richly decorated with patterns and figures all over the entrance: above the northern there are two angry angels, and above the southern there is someone similar to St. Nicholas. To the left of the southern door is a large inscription in the Mkhedruli alphabet.
The western wall is limited by the Tushetian tower, so the stone carvings are only partially accessible. One can still see a large cross in the center with a dragon underneath. On the right, there is a large tree with grapes and a representation of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child. This relief is very untypical for the Georgian tradition, more similar to the Eastern traditions. On the eastern wall there are three crosses.
The interiors are characterized by frescoes from the same period as the church. However, only their fragments have been preserved.
Sources and Further Reading
Khoshtaria, D. Medieval Georgian Churches: A Concise Overview of Architecture. Tbilisi, 2023.
Zakaraya, P. ანანურის ხუროთმოძღვრული ანსამბლი [Ananuris Xurotmozgvruli Ansambli]. Tbilisi, 1953. [in Georgian]
text by Elena Lisitsyna
bureau MARKA 