Nerkin Church :: ARMENIAN HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

Nerkin Church

Georgia / Javakhk / Akhalkalak / Gandza

Inscription, Georgian Mesropian, Engraved, Commemoration

Four lines carved on the southern entrance tympanum of the church:
†. ღ(მრ)თივ გჳგჳნო|სანი მეფობაჲ გი(ორგი)სი, | ლაშქარნი დ(ა) ს(ა)მეფო დ(ა)ჲფ(ა)რენ | დედ(ა)ო ყ(ოელ)თა მჴსნელისაო. Transl.: Oh, You, Mother, the Redeemer of All, may You keep Giorgi’s God-blessed reign, [his] war-lords and kingdom under Your protection.

Ростомов И., Ахалкалакский уезд в археологическом отношении.– Сборник Материалов для Описания Местностей и Племен Кавказа, вып. XXV, 1898, էջ 48։ ცისკარიშვილი ვ., განძანის წარწერების შესახებ, საქართველოს სსრ მეცნიერებათა აკადემიის მოამბე, ტ. ხვ, N 6, 1954, էջ 468-469: ცისკარიშვილი ვ., ჯავახეთის ეპიგრაფიკა როგორც საისტორიო წყარო, თბილისი, 1959, էջ 101: ბერძენიშვილი ნ., idem, p. 85: შოშიაშვილი ნ., თორელთა ფეოდალური სახლის ისტორია და შოთა რუსთაველი, էջ 35-41: ოთხმეზური გ., XII-XIII საუკუნეების მიჯნის ქართული ლაპიდარული წარწერები როგორც საისტორიო წყარო, էջ 104-105: “ჯავახეთი. ისტორიულ-ხუროთმოძღვრული გზამკვლევი”, էջ 20: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 140. Note: The researchers of this field, who are not unanimous in their views regarding the age of the inscription, establish its date as follows—M. Brosset: late 13th to early 14th centuries; I. Rostomashvili: 1014 to 1027; E. Taghayshvili: 1299 to 1346; V. Tsiskarishvili: 1334 to 1346; N. Berdzenishvili: 1334 to 1346; N. Shoshiashvili: 1208 to 1222; G. Otkhmezuri: 1202/3 to 1215.

Type Copied Lapidary Inscription
View Exterior
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Graphical Drawing

Type Photo
View Detail
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1988 — 1989 yy․

A Georgian Mesropian inscription preserved on the southern entrance tympanum of the Lower Church

Inscription, Georgian Mesropian, Engraved, Commemoration

Seven lines inscribed on the southern wall of the church:
ქ(რისტ)ე ღ(მერთ)ო. ად(ი)დე ორთავე ცხორებათა მანდატ(ო)ჳრთ (ო)ჳხ|(ო)ჳცესი შალვა, ძითა და ძმითა მათგან ცოცხალთა. | ვაშენეთ მეორე წ(მიდა)ჲ ესე საყდარი ჩ(უე)ნ ნიკოლას ძეთა. Þ| შალვას მონასა მანგლაფას მეოხ ექმენ ღ(მერთ)ო ყ(ოე)ლთ(ა)ო. | საყდარი დედისა ღ(მრ)თ(ი)საჲ. Transl.: Oh, Lord Jesus. May You glorify Mandaturtukhutses Shalva together with his alive son and brother. We, Nicholas’s sons, built this second church. Oh, You, God of All, may You protect servant of Shalva Manglap. Astvatzatzin Church...

Brosset M., Mélanges asiatiques. t. II, 2e et 3e1, St. Pétersburg, 1854, p. 173։ Ростомов И., Ахалкалакский уезд в археологическом отношении.– Сборник Материалов для Описания Местностей и Племен Кавказа, вып. XXV, 1898, էջ 49-50։ ცისკარიშვილი ვ., განძანის წარწერების...., էջ 467-468։ ცისკარიშვილი ვ., ჯავახეთის ეპიგრაფიკა როგორც საისტორიო წყარო, էջ 99-100։ ბერძენიშვილი ნ., idem, p. 85: შოშიაშვილი ნ., idem, pp. 35-41։ ოთხმეზური გ., XII-XIII საუკუნეების მიჯნის ქართული ლაპიდარული წარწერები როგორც საისტორიო წყარო, p. 102-104։ “ჯავახეთი. ისტორიულ-ხუროთმოძღვრული გზამკვლევი”, p. 20: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 140. Note: I. Rostomashvili divided the inscription into four parts and separately published each of them (see Ростомов И., Ахалкалакский уезд в археологическом отношении.– Сборник Материалов для Описания Местностей и Племен Кавказа, вып. XXV, 1898, p. 49). E. Taghayshvili states the following in a note written for this page of Rostomashvili’s book: “Brosset’s decipherment reads: ‘Salva, simona, saman, lafas’ (transl.: “Shalva, Simon, Saman, Lafa”). I think the last two words should be read as samangzafas (transl.: “Samangzaf”). See idem, p. 49. Researchers are not unanimous in the establishment of the age of the inscription. Their viewpoints are as follows—M. Brosset: the late 13th to the early 14th centuries; I. Rostomashvili: 1014 to 1027; E. Taghayshvili: 1299 to 1346; V. Tsiskarishvili: 1334 to 1346; N. Berdzenishvili: 1334 to 1346; N. Shoshiashvili: 1208 to 1222; G. Otkhmezuri: 1202/3 to 1215. General Comments: The construction inscriptions of both the Upper and Lower churches speak about the sons of the same builder, i.e. Nicholas. Keba’s (?) sons, mentioned in the inscription of the Upper one, are not found in that of the Lower one (ciskariSvili v., idem, p. 100). However, instead of ‘Keba’s sons,’ I. Rostomashvili offers the version ‘in praise of.’ Thus, in both cases, Nicholas’s sons are mentioned as the builders of these two churches. The inscriptions are undated so that we have to establish their age judging from their stylistic peculiarities and the personalities mentioned in them. It is interesting to note that Shalva, who is mentioned as Mejurjletukhutses in the inscription of the Upper Church, is referred to as Mandaturtukhutses in that of the Lower one, which suggests that he first held the former post and then the latter. M. Brosset considers Shalva Beka I’s (†. 1306 to 1308) son without, however, substantiating his viewpoint (see Brosset M., Rapport sur un voyage archéologique dans la Géorgie et dans l’Arménie éxecuté en 1847-1848 par M. Brosset; livre 2, St. Pétersburg, 1850, p. 173). According to him, the king mentioned in the inscription is Giorgi V (1299 to 1301, and 1314 to 1346, idem, pp. 173-174). Referring to Brosset, I. Rostomashvili thinks that Giorgi, mentioned in the inscription, is Giorgi I (1014 to 1027). E. Taghayshvili, however, states that the engraver means King Giorgi V (see Ростомов И., Ахалкалакский уезд в археологическом отношении.– Сборник Материалов для Описания Местностей и Племен Кавказа, вып. XXV, 1898, p. 48, note No. 1). Mejurjletukhutses and Mandaturtukhutses Shalva, who lived in the days of Giorgi V (in the 14th century), was known by the pseudonym of ბრწყინვალე, i.e. the Bright. In those times, the post of Mandaturtukhutses was held by the members of the Jaghetsies’ family who also often (particularly, in the 13th century) occupied the position of Mejurjletukhutses. In the ‘60s of the 13th century, this post was held by Sargis Jaghetsy. In the early 14th century, Beka Jaghetsy I had a younger son named Shalva (ჟამთააღმწერელი, მარიამისული ქართლის ცხოვრება, ე. თაყაიშვილის გამ., 1906, էջ 783). According to I. Javakhishvili, Shalva could have assumed the post of Mejurjletukhutses at least at the age of 20 to 25, which leads us to the conclusion that the Upper Church was founded not earlier than the year 1310. It could not have been erected later than 1346, when King Giorgi V died. The fact that the Jaghetsies again recognised the supremacy of the Georgian court over their principality in 1334 makes it possible to reduce the time-span embracing the construction of the church, and trace it back to the period between 1334 and 1346 (javaxiSvili v., qarTuli eris istoria, w. III, gv. 72, SexiSvxa No. 8). Thus, according to the aforementioned scholars, the inscriptions found in Gandza should be attributed to the period between 1310 (1334) and 1346. N. Shoshiashvili, however, offers quite different dating for these inscriptions—according to it, the inscriptions of the Upper Church should be ascribed to 1191 to 1207, and those of the Lower Church to 1208 to 1222 (see შოშიაშვილი ნ., თორელთა ფეოდალური სახლის ისტორია და შოთა რუსთაველი, კრ. შოთა რუსთაველი, ისტორიულ-ფილოლოგიური ძიებანი, 1966). This viewpoint is shared by G. Otkhmezuri, who traces the inscriptions back to the period of the activity of Shalva Torel-Akhaltsikheli, and establishes their age as follows, referring to the studies conducted by P. Ingoroghva (ინგოროყვა პ., რუსთაველიანა, თხზულებათა კრებული, I, თბილისი, 1963, էջ 576-579)—Upper Church: 1190 to 1202/3, and Lower Church: 1120/3 to 1215 (see ოთხმეზური გ., XII-XIII საუკუნეების მიჯნის ქართული ლაპიდარული წარწერები როგორც საისტორიო წყარო, ეპიგრაფიკული ძეგლები და ხელნაწერთა მინაწერები ვი, თბილისი, 1981, էջ 104-105). According to a chronology made up by Otkhmezuri, Shalva Toretsy-Akhaltskhatsy (თორელ-ახალცხელი) held the post of Mandaturtukhutses between 1202/3 and 1215, and that of Mejurjletukhutses between 1188 and 1202/3.

Type Copied Lapidary Inscription
View Exterior
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Graphical Drawing

Type Photo
View Detail
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1988 — 1989 yy․

A Georgian Mesropian inscription carved on the southern wall of the Lower Church

Type Photo
View Partial view
Direction From the south-west
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1988 — 1989 yy․

Type Photo
View Partial view
Direction From the south-east
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1988 — 1989 yy․

Type Photo
View Detail
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1988 — 1989 yy․

A window opening from its southern facade

Type Measurement
View Exterior
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Sketch