Grapevine cross

The vines Cross (Georgian: ჯვარი ვაზისა, Djvari Wasissa, also Georgian cross or cross of St. Nino ) is the cross of the Georgian Orthodox Church of the Apostles. Its characteristic feature are the drooping arms. It is one of the main symbols of Georgian Orthodoxy and dates from the 4th century, when Christianity became the state religion in Georgia.

Hagiography

The Orthodox hagiography According to St. Nino to get the vines Cross of the Virgin Mary and brought from Cappadocia to Mtskheta in Georgia. Another legend describes how she got it made ​​on their journey even while using strands of your own hair.

Only on the icons of the early modern period the vines cross is shown with his arms hanging down.

Relic

The Cross of Saint Nino was preserved for centuries as a relic in the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta. In order to protect it from invaders, it was in the Middle Ages to the Georgian crown jewels in the 2170 m above sea level. NN located church Zminda Sameba stored on Mount Kazbek. Persian conquerors should have brought it to Armenia later. From there, it finally came to Moscow. The Russian Tsar Alexander I had after the annexation of Georgia in 1801 at the Tbilisi government. It is now in the Sioni Cathedral in Tbilisi.