Otkhta
Dörtkilise ( Turkish, " four churches " ), georgian ოთხთა ეკლესია, Otchta eklesia ( "Church of the Four " ), is a former Georgian monastery church from the 10th century in the north- east of Turkey. The well-preserved ruins belonged to along with other monuments in the remote mountain region south of the Kaçkar Dağları to the medieval Georgian kingdom Tao Klardschetien.
Location
40.81416666666741.471111111111Koordinaten: 40 ° 48 ' 51 " N, 41 ° 28' 16" E
The church is in 1350 meters altitude on a crest of the wooded and well-watered southern foothills of the Kaçkar Dagi. With over 3900 meters this is the highest peak in the running parallel to the coast of the Black Sea mountain range. Dörtkilise is accessible by road in the valley of Çoruh from which connects İspir with Yusufeli. The branch is located in the homonymous settlement on the riverbank seven kilometers south-west of Yusufeli. From here a road leads into a valley along a stream further seven kilometers into the mountains. Between the even in midsummer lush Kuhwiesen thrive in the valley walnut trees, peaches, grapes, pumpkins and other vegetables. Driving uphill, the church is barely visible because it is hidden directly above the path behind trees. One kilometer after the church begins a scattered settlement with farms, where cattle are kept. The steep mountain valleys with fertile soil in the region receive abundant rainfall, the villages were therefore always relatively large and wealthy in history. To date, many of the villagers of Georgian origin.
History
In the 9th and 10th centuries, many churches and monasteries in Tao - Klardschetien were built, which was the only Georgian- Christian territories outside the Arab sphere of influence before it was united end of the 10th century with three other principalities of the Kingdom of Georgia. Dörtkilise one of the few free-standing churches in the landscape, most are located in or at the edge of villages, some were reclassified into mosques.
General characteristics of Georgian churches are their relatively simple but impressive design and high arcades around the windows on the outside walls. The floor plan of the nave is combined with a cross-domed church whose dome is raised above the altar room of a durchfensterten drum. Precursor of this design are Georgian basilica from the 6th century, the enlarged around the 10th century and were massively increased.
Dörtkilise is first mentioned under the name " Laura with the four churches " in the 10th century in a saint biography. The building is expected before the reign of David III, David the Great ( r. 961-1000 ) or - was built in the 960s years, more precisely 961-965, with stone and brick walls -. According to inscriptions, which refer to David be; the current appearance of the stone block walls comes from later alterations.
Besides Dörtkilise are the best preserved Georgian churches in the region ÖSK Vank, Haho, İşhan and Barhal; the latter is a little later incurred, almost austere replica of Dörtkilise.
Design
The outer walls of the three-aisled basilica are carefully assembled from yellow-brown sandstone blocks. The building with a floor area of 28.5 × 18.6 meters built on a two-step base and is to some gaps in the roof and dialed decorative forms on the outer walls well preserved. Some stones at the northern and southern outer wall disappeared in looting. It gave each have an input in the north, south and west walls. The building is now open and is empty inside, the floor is raised to varying degrees by rubble. It was originally designed with square stone slabs. Nominally, there must have been in the neighborhood of three other church buildings. Of these, only the ruins of a single-nave chapel is preserved in the southeast.
The structure of the longitudinal walls and the clerestory is done by rows of continuous 1.85 m wide Blend niche arcades. At the two gable ends its height is determined by the roof slope. The east facade is pierced by eleven arched windows on two floors and three round windows at the top of the gable. The only large windows with 2.16 meters high and 1.08 meters wide, is located in the center of the apse. The blind arches of the clerestory rest on the presented coupled circular column pairs that are rotated against each other, as spirally twisted are the Bogenwülste about it. The massive structure is replaced by its elegance at both levels correspond to one another, even ranking of the arcades. The disproportionate height of 22 meters is only obvious at the gable walls and inside the nave. From the original roofing are still some that get inlaid clay tiles in cement.
The barrel vault of the three naves are supported by massive pillars pairs that are cross- linked by transverse arches. The three of the five bays in the longitudinal direction are rear equidistant, the second yoke seen from the altar area was significantly expanded at the expense of the first pillar of the space, which is lower than the other and cooperates compressed. This first pair of pillars is therefore no longer in alignment with the transverse arches in the outer vaults. The widening was probably carried out during construction to highlight the impression of a space ship cross the square in front of the chancel. The gallery on the sides of the nave was reached earlier directly from the outside through a 2.1 meter high and one meter wide door on the west side ( the third tympanum of the north). The door is three meters above the current floor level, there were probably used to be a wooden ladder.
The semi-circular central apse within the straight east wall is the side of rectangular side rooms ( Pastophorien ) surrounded that are accessible only through the aisles. Its upper floors are connected by two slender arched windows with the aisles and get sparse light through two small windows in the east wall.
At the apse fresco paintings are found in poor condition, the fill into five zones on each other the entire wall surface. They were so still attached the early 960s years during construction. The scenes of the two lower zones in which the life of Jesus was shown, just difficult to see. The third, the best preserved area at the level of single apse window displays in the middle of the praying Virgin Mary flanked by angels, on the right side of John the Baptist and keep the outside on both sides continue apostles, books or scrolls. In the curved soffit above the window is a medallion with the bust of a woman is in front of a blue background, holding a model of the church in her left elbow. This is probably the holy Nino, who is venerated as the first Christian Georgia. The right side shows the reveal of Moses, as he receives the Tablets of the Law from God's hand, while he turns his face to God. Links welcomes the priest Melchizedek Abraham from Jerusalem with a tray in his hands, to pass the bread and wine. With the Samaritans, the Eucharist is also symbolizes.
In the zone above than-life prophets and Church Fathers stand in a row, whose identity can no longer be determined with the exception of two. The two outer figures are on the right Solomon and David on the left. Solomon is shown as a young man as he raises his right hand to heaven. The figures in the uppermost zone are destroyed in its lower half. Recognizable include a Crucifixion, the angel before Jesus' empty grave and Jesus as he appears in the olive garden of Gethsemane. The rolled to the history of salvation of Jesus around overall program is exceptionally comprehensive.
With the west side of the church was since the time of David III. an elongated stem serving as a narthex room connected to the church, but there was no connecting door between this room and the stem. The elongated building of 17 × 5.5 meters opened only at its northern narrow side to another, 13 × 20.8 meter building in the northwest, which was once covered by two barrel vaults over a row of pillars. The large building is likely to have been the refectory ( dining hall) of the convent, the narrow is called a scriptorium ( writing room ). Both buildings residues are hardly obtained.
Are still waiting to the outer walls of a small chapel grave 6.5 meters from the south-east corner of the church. This was two storeys, covered by a barrel vault, and measured 10.2 × 6.55 meters outside. The entrance was probably in the West, a round apse graduated from the room to the east.
As usual in the monasteries, there were also in the vicinity associated outbuildings. One kilometer north was found on the left side of the creek, the small remains of a 5.5 x 3.5 meter large chapel, consisting of one room with barrel vault. In the west on the other side of the creek a 11 × 6.5 meter large stone house that had probably served as a monk accommodation. It is almost completely disappeared.