A trip to Sabereebi Monasteries, in the Vinichio Valley, South-East of Georgia, Part 2/3:
The Monasteries & Frescoes
Good morning good evening good afternoon, travelers! Time is irrelevant, as we are here to talk about space, spaces we visit and spaces we become a part of!
As I said in part 1/3, we had the chance to hike to some old troglodyte monasteries in the Vinichio Valley of Georgia, at the border with Azerbaijan. Some were relatively accessible, and others seemed very dangerous to get to, as time and weather hazards have participated in the destruction of these places.
The pictures of this part 2/3 will focus on the monasteries and their frescoes, painted before/during/after the 9th century, and that survived multiple invasions, changes in the political and religious structure of the country, and even ethnic movements.
Now let's head up there!
The frescoes of these monasteries have been "officially" discovered and studied/registered around the 1930's, but they have been known from locals, pilgrims, ethnic groups and religious movements for centuries.
Sabereebi, in georgian, means "the place of the monks". It is assumed that only a small group of monks, and around 6 artists were involved and the creation and ornamentation of these monasteries, but it is hard to know now. The frescoes have been degraded by the flow of time, of weather and by the hands of man, but they still look beautiful and quite unique in their style.
One thing to notice that makes them so special, is that around that time, the Byzantium empire was spreading and racking iconoclasm, as they did in Cappadocia. The paintings of Sabereebi are entirely locals, which makes them even rare, and on some of them presenting a sacred texts, the religious words aren't written in latin, but in old georgian script, which I find most curious and interesting. The work is local, and aimed for local as well.
Some of them have been vandalized by man's hand, the eyes have been scratched out, the wings have been barred, the faces ripped off. Knowing how hard it must have been to find these places, and to access them, the people behind this act really went out of their way and invested time and energy into destroying these representations.
This painting of a peacock was signed with the words "peacock", as the artist wasn't sure the people of Georgia would be aware of what a peacock is or looks like.
These frescoes are remnants of medieval pilgrimage and monks living as hermit up on rock formations lost in the arid desert of South Georgia. Their condition, considering their emplacement and their age, is quite spectacular.
"By the ninth century, the time of Sabereebi’s establishment, about a dozen foundations had been created across these arid wastes – a landscape now known eponymously as Davit Gareja. At its peak perhaps 10,000 monks lived among the vultures and snakes."
The other monasteries that more known in the area and more accessible, were quite popular for tourists and researchers. But to find Sabereebi's monasteries, these people would have had to be more adventurous, and get out in the desert where others wouldn't go, or wouldn't know where to go. Maybe it is a reason why the frescoes are still well preserved despite the vandalism and the harsh conditions of the georgian desert.
The third part will be more of a bonus, sharing some shots of the local fauna and flora taken by @rossthompson, as most of these shots are, who has an incredible eye and amazing awareness of where and how to see things that are usually hidden from sight.
Interesting trip, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for reading!
Incredible monastery! I don't think it was very difficult for you to go up there, although it is possible to do it for the sake of this monastery. Very beautiful pictures on the walls. I really enjoyed it!
It was yeah, but also very fun and interesting!
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