View source for Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi

{{Short description|Orthodox Christian cathedral in Tbilisi, Georgia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox religious building
| building_name         =  Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi
| native_name           = თბილისის წმინდა სამების საკათედრო ტაძარი
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| image                 =Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi.jpg
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| caption               = Holy Trinity Cathedral
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| location              = [[Tbilisi]], {{flagu|Georgia}}
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| religious_affiliation = [[Georgian Orthodox Church]]
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| consecration_year     = 2004
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| leadership            = [[Ilia II of Georgia]]
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| architecture        =
| architect             = Archil Mindiashvili
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| architecture_style    = Georgian cross-dome
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| groundbreaking        = 1995
| year_completed        = 2004
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| capacity              = 10,000{{citation needed|date=February 2019}}
|interior_area         = 3,000 m<sup>2</sup> (interior)<br />3,200 m<sup>2</sup> (exterior-stairs){{citation needed|date=February 2019}}
| length                = 70.4 m <ref name= Sameba>{{cite web|url=http://www.ambebi.ge/sazogadoeba/28765-rogor-shendeboda-samebis-sakathedro-tadzari.html|publisher=|title=როგორ შენდებოდა სამების საკათედრო ტაძარი}}</ref>
| width                 = 64.7 m <ref name= Sameba/>
| width_nave            =
| height_max            = 87.1 m{{citation needed|date=February 2019}}
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The '''Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi''' ({{lang-ka|თბილისის წმინდა სამების საკათედრო ტაძარი}} ''Tbilisis tsminda samebis sakatedro tadzari''), commonly known as '''Sameba''' ({{lang-ka|სამების ლავრა}} for [[Holy Trinity|Trinity]]), is the main [[Eastern Orthodox church architecture|cathedral]] of the [[Georgian Orthodox Church]] located in [[Tbilisi]], the capital of [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]. Constructed between 1995 and 2004, it is the [[List of tallest Orthodox churches|third-tallest]] Eastern Orthodox cathedral in the world and one of the [[List of largest church buildings in the world|largest religious buildings]] in the world by total area. Sameba is a synthesis of traditional styles dominating the Georgian church architecture at various stages in history and has some [[Byzantine architecture|Byzantine undertones]].
== History and construction==
[[File:Tbilisi Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba) and Presidential Palace IMG 8995 1920.jpg|thumb|300px|left|Sameba seen in the Elia neighbourhood along with the [[Ceremonial Palace of Georgia]]]]
The idea to build a new cathedral to commemorate 1,500 years of [[autocephaly]] of the [[Georgian Orthodox Church]] and 2,000 years from the birth of [[Jesus]] emerged as early as 1989, a crucial year for the national awakening of the then-[[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic|republic of Georgia]]. In May 1989, the Georgian Orthodox Patriarchate and the authorities of Tbilisi announced an international contest for the "Holy Trinity Cathedral" project. No winner was chosen at the first round of the contest when more than a hundred projects were submitted. Finally the design by architect [[Archil Mindiashvili]] won. The subsequent turbulent years of [[Georgian Civil War|civil unrest]] in Georgia deferred this grandiose plan for six years, and it was not until 23 November 1995, that the foundation of the new cathedral was laid.{{fact|date=September 2020}}
The construction of the church was proclaimed as a "symbol of the Georgian national and spiritual revival" and was sponsored mostly by anonymous donations from several businessmen and common citizens. On 23 November 2004, on [[St George's Day|St. George's Day]], the cathedral was consecrated by [[Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia|Catholicos Patriarch of Georgia]] [[Ilia II]] and high-ranking representatives of fellow Orthodox Churches of the world. The ceremony was also attended by leaders of other religious and confessional communities in Georgia as well as by political leaders.{{fact|date=September 2020}}
At least part<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kalatozishvili|first1=Georgy|title=Relations between Georgian and Armenian churches|url=http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/politics/58282.html|work=Vestnik Kavkaza|date=30 July 2014|quote=the construction of the St. Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi in 1989.The patriarchy of the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) decided to build a huge temple on a hill near an Armenian cemetery. The territory of the church, Armenian officials say, will take part of the territory of the cemetery.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Goble|first1=Paul|title=Tensions Between Georgian and Armenian Churches Escalate|journal=Eurasia Daily Monitor|date=8 August 2014|volume=11|issue=146|url=http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=42732&no_cache=1#.VqSasvl97IU|publisher=[[Jamestown Foundation]]|quote=The construction of the Georgian cathedral became a problem for the Armenians because its site was either next to or, according to Armenians, occupied part of what has long been the Armenian cemetery there.}}</ref> of the site chosen for the new cathedral complex included land within what had once been an old Armenian cemetery called [[Armenian Pantheon of Tbilisi|Khojavank]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Цминда Самеба – современное видение грузинского христианства|url=http://btimes.ru/tourism/gruziya/dostoprimechatelnosti-gruzii/tsminda-sameba-sovremennoe-videnie-gruzinskogo-khristia|work=btimes.ru|agency=Business Times|language=ru|quote=Храм был построен на месте старинного армянского кладбища Ходживанк, что вызвало волну возмущения, как от местных жителей, так и от армян, которые были недовольны непочтительным отношением к останкам захороненных людей.|access-date=24 January 2016|archive-date=4 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204222658/http://btimes.ru/tourism/gruziya/dostoprimechatelnosti-gruzii/tsminda-sameba-sovremennoe-videnie-gruzinskogo-khristia|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Burford">{{cite book|last1=Burford|first1=Tim|title=Georgia|date=2015|publisher=[[Bradt Travel Guides]]|isbn=9781841625560|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=WAxWCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA128&lpg=PA128&dq=scandalous+lack+of+respect 128]|quote=It was built on the Armenian Khojavank cemetery which was treated with a scandalous lack of respect.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Noble|first1=John|last2=Kohn|first2=Michael|last3=Systermans|first3=Danielle|title=Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan|date=2008|publisher=[[Lonely Planet]]|isbn=9781741044775|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=A6yYWC2QtZUC&pg=PA57&dq=tbilisi+armenian+cemetery 57]|quote=Some controversy surrounded its construction on the site of an old Armenian cemetery.}}</ref><ref name="armenianow 2007"/><ref name="noravank"/> The cemetery once had an Armenian church destroyed during the Soviet period by the orders of [[Lavrenti Beria]]. Most of the cemetery's gravestones and monuments were also destroyed and the cemetery turned into a recreational park. However, the cemetery still contained many of its graves when construction of the Sameba Cathedral commenced.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.am/pages.php?bId=2&hId=1406|title=Հայկական Հանրագիտարան|website=www.encyclopedia.am|accessdate=11 January 2018}}</ref> The cemetery was treated with a "scandalous lack of respect" according to one author,<ref name="Burford"/> after bones and gravestones appeared scattered all over the construction site.<ref name="armenianow 2007"/><ref>{{cite web|last1=Dikranian|first1=Raffy|title=Desecration of Armenian Cemetery in Avlabar District, Tbilisi, Georgia ContinuesDesecration of Armenian Cemetery in Avlabar District, Tbilisi, Georgia Continues|url=http://groong.usc.edu/orig/rd-20070914.html|website=Armenian News Network / Groong|publisher=[[University of Southern California]]|date=14 September 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Ghazinyan|first1=Aris|title=The 'Armenian Problem': Hayastantsi in Georgia face challenges over ethnicity|url=http://agbu.org/news-item/the-armenian-problem-hayastansis-in-georgia-face-challenges-over-ethnicityv/|publisher=[[Armenian General Benevolent Union]]|date=1 November 2008|quote=A few years ago, a Georgian cathedral was constructed at Khojivank Hill in Tbilisi. Located just behind Avlabar Square, Khojivank Hill is a magnet. Besides its landmark prominence, it is the location of the pantheon of outstanding figures of Armenian culture represented by a constellation of names of classics of national literature of the 19th century. Originally, Khojivank was an Armenian cemetery where, along with renowned literary figures, their ordinary contemporaries were also buried. The new residence of the Patriarch of All Georgia, erected in 2004, is built over those graves. By now, loads of human ashes have been transferred to the city dump as common construction garbage. According to eyewitnesses, human bones were among debris hauled away in dump trucks and gravestones were scattered and left lying wherever they fell.|access-date=24 January 2016|archive-date=30 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130192623/http://agbu.org/news-item/the-armenian-problem-hayastansis-in-georgia-face-challenges-over-ethnicityv/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
== Architecture ==
[[File:Catedral de la Santísima Trinidad, Tiflis, Georgia, 2016-09-29, DD 133-135 HDR.jpg|thumb|left|Cathedral interior]]
The Sameba Cathedral is erected on the [[Elijah|Elia]] Hill, which rises above the left bank of the [[Kura (Caspian Sea)|Kura River]] (Mtkvari) in the historic neighborhood of [[Avlabari]] in [[Old Tbilisi]].
Designed in a traditional Georgian style but with a greater vertical emphasis, and "regarded as an eyesore by many people, it is equally venerated by as many others".<ref>Tim Buford, "Georgia - 2015 edition, Bradt Travel Guides", p128.</ref> The cathedral has a [[cruciform]] plan with a [[dome]] over a [[crossing (architecture)|crossing]] resting on eight columns. At the same time, the parameters of the dome is independent from the [[apse]]s, imparting a more monumental look to the dome and the church in general. The dome is surmounted by a 7.5 meter tall gilded gold cross.
[[File:Sameba cathedral, iconostasis 01.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Iconostasis]] at the Holy Trinity Cathedral]]
The cathedral consists of nine [[chapel]]s (chapels of the [[Archangel]]s, [[John the Baptist]], [[Saint Nino]], [[Saint George]], [[Saint Nicholas]], the [[Twelve Apostles]], and [[Glorification#Eastern Orthodox Church|All Saints]]); five of them are situated in a large, underground compartment. The overall area of the cathedral, including its large [[narthex]], is 3,000 square meters and the volume it occupies is 137,000 cubic meters. The interior of the church (nave) measures 56 metres by 44 metres, with an interior area of 2,380 square metres. The height of the cathedral from the ground to the top of the cross is 87.1 metres (height of stairs 1 metre). The underground chapel occupies 35,550 cubic metres and the height is 13.1 metres.{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}}
Natural materials are used for construction. The floor is made of marble tiles and the [[altar]] will also be decorated with [[mosaic]]. The painting of the murals is being executed by a group of artists guided by [[Amiran Goglidze]].
The Sameba complex, the construction of which is already completed, consists of the main cathedral church, a free-standing bell-tower, the residence of the Patriarch, a monastery, a clerical [[seminary]] and theological academy, several workshops, places for rest, etc.
== Historic events ==
In early January 2024, the discovery of Joseph Stalin on an icon drew national and international attention.<ref name="SovLab-RFE">{{cite news |title=SOVLAB-ი გმობს „სტალინის განმადიდებელი შინაარსის ხატის" სამების ტაძარში განთავსებას |url=https://www.radiotavisupleba.ge/a/32767335.html |access-date=10 January 2024 |publisher=Radio Free Europe |date=January 9, 2024}}</ref> The presence of Stalin on an icon has been described as unusual by theologians.<ref name="MythDetect">{{cite web |last1=Iagorashvili |first1=Irakli |title=Myth As If Stalin Met Saint Matrona of Moscow Before the War with Hitler |url=https://mythdetector.ge/en/myth-as-if-stalin-met-saint-matrona-of-moscow-before-the-war-with-hitler/ |website=mythdetector.ge |access-date=10 January 2024 |date=8 January 2024}}</ref> The icon featuring Stalin has been donated by members of the conservative Alliance of Patriots party.<ref name="Politico">{{cite news |last1=Parulava |first1=Dato |title=Far-right mob hunts woman for defacing Stalin icon in Georgian church |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/far-right-mob-hunts-woman-for-defacing-stalin-in-georgian-church/ |access-date=11 January 2024 |work=POLITICO |date=10 January 2024 |language=en}}</ref> On 10 January, the icon featuring Stalin was defaced with blue paint, in an incident that drew press attention, and subsequent protests.<ref name="defacingRFE">{{cite news |title=საღებავი შეასხეს ხატს, რომელზეც სტალინია გამოსახული |url=https://www.radiotavisupleba.ge/a/32767268.html |access-date=10 January 2024 |agency=Radio Free Europe |date=9 January 2024}}</ref>
== See also ==
[[File:Sameba Cathedral, Holy Trinity Cathedral, Dusk, Tbilisi, Georgia.jpg|thumb|Sameba Cathedra at dusk]]
*[[Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral]]
*[[List of tallest church buildings]]
*[[List of largest Eastern Orthodox church buildings]]
== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="armenianow 2007">{{cite news|last1=Hakobyan|first1=Julia|title=Havlabar: Armenian community in Tbilisi pays the price of urbanization|url=http://www.armenianow.com/features/7696/havlabar_armenian_community_in_tbi|work=[[ArmeniaNow]]|date=28 September 2007|quote=Three years ago the largest Georgian Orthodox Church Holy Trinity was constructed in Havlabar and now next to the church is being constructed a seminary in the area which used to be the oldest Armenian cemetery “Khojivank.” Arnold Stepanyan, the head of the “Tbilisi Community of Georgian Armenians” non governmental organization in Tbilisi says as the cemetery was considered by the Georgian authorities to be old no reburial was organized and a great number of skeletons appeared during digging the foundation ditch.|access-date=27 January 2012|archive-date=9 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109051012/http://www.armenianow.com/features/7696/havlabar_armenian_community_in_tbi|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="noravank">{{cite web|last1=Hovyan|first1=Vahram|title=Հակահայկական քաղաքականության դրսեվորումները Վրաստանում [Anti-Armenian policies in Georgia]|url=http://noravank.am/arm/articles/detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=508|publisher=[[Noravank Foundation]]|language=hy|date=10 December 2007|quote=Այս միտումը մեր ժամանակներում իր գործնական դրսևորումն արդեն գտել է ի դեմս այն փաստի, որ վրացական իշխանությունները Հավլաբարի Խոջիվանք եկեղեցուն հարակից հայկական գերեզմանատան տարածքում երեք տարի առաջ ավարտեցին Սուրբ Երրորդություն վրացական ուղղափառ տաճարի շինարարությունը}}</ref>
}}
==External links==
{{commons category|position=left|Sameba Cathedral, Tbilisi}}
{{ external media
| float  = right
| width  = 200px
| image1 = [https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=wFGqFstC2Zy 360° panoramic view] ([[virtual tour]])
}}
{{ external media
| float  = right
| width  = 200px
| image1 = [https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=wFGqFstC2Zy 360° panoramic view of the interior] ([[virtual tour]])
}}
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[[Category:Georgian Orthodox cathedrals in Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:Georgian Orthodox churches in Tbilisi]]
[[Category:Churches completed in 2004]]
[[Category:2004 establishments in Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Tbilisi]]
[[Category:Church buildings with domes]]
[[Category:Byzantine Revival architecture in Georgia (country)]]