The Liturgical Spaces of Medieval Georgian Cathedrals

The research project addresses the relationship between the liturgical planning and architectural setting of Medieval Georgian cathedrals and functional, ceremonial, and artistic perspectives. The liturgical services that took place in these sacred spaces are a fundamental factor in understanding the particular character of their architecture. Moreover, over the centuries, contacts with other orthodox churches, for example in Syria and the Holy Land as well as Constantinople and much later Russia, impacted the liturgical disposition of Georgian churches. The project discusses this topic within the broader East Christian context. It carves out the peculiarities of liturgical planning in different countries and distinguishes similar patterns in their architectural design. The project covers the time span from the early medieval period to the 18th century. The research is based both on fieldwork and on the extensive study of primary sources.