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Kotelia 7 Monuments

Georgia (Country) / Javakhk (District) / Akhalkalak (District) / Kotelia (Village)

Location

Kotelia extends in a plain rising at an average altitude of 1,700 metres above sea level, on the highway of Akhalkalak-Bakurian, 12 kilometres north of Akhalkalak in a straight line.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 295.

Historical Introduction

According to a viewpoint existing in the available scientific literature, the village of Skoutri, which is repeatedly mentioned in Armenian historiographical sources as the birthplace of Georgian Catholicos Kyurion, is identical to present-day Kotelia: “Nowadays there is no village named Skoutri in Javakhk, but there is another which is called Kotelia, and which may be a modified version of the same [S]ko[u]tri. Kyurion, who was a fervent follower of the Chalcedonian faith, had “earned himself” the hatred of those opposed to this creed to such an extent that they took advantage of his being from the village of Skoutri in origin to compare him with Judas Iscariot. Stressing the same fact, Ukhtanes writes the following about Kyurion: “...Kyurion of Skourt was repudiated from among ourselves and banished, since he resembled Judas Iscariot...”

Մելիքսեթ-Բեկ Լ., Վրաց աղբյուրները Հայաստանի և հայերի մասին, հ. Ա, էջ 17: Ուխտանէս եպիսկոպոս, Պատմութիւն Հայոց, Վաղարշապատ, 1871, էջ 35: Kyurion’s birthplace, the village of Skoutri, is also mentioned by Vardan Areveltsy: “...Kyurion, who was from Skoutri Village of Javakhk in origin and had command of the Armenian and Georgian scripts, was ordained Catholicos of Georgians and later embraced the Chalcedonian faith” (Հաւաքումն Պատմութեան Վարդանայ վարդապետի, Վենետիկ, 1862, էջ 58): Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 295.

In the Middle Ages, Kotelia was also inhabited by Armenians, which is substantiated by an Armenian-language inscription carved on a khachkar: “Kotelia has 2 cemeteries the older of which belongs to Muslims. It comprises undressed slabs of stone serving as tombstones which include only a single finished piece of stone with a cross and an Armenian inscription... This is very interesting... I was unable to read the damaged Armenian inscription on the spot; [moreover], I took a photograph of it, but it turned out a total failure.”

ბერძენიშვილი ნ., idem, p. 142: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 295.

1595 y․

The name of Kotelia is found in the Ottoman tax list of 1595, which mentions it as comprising 3 houses and paying 10,000 akches to the State Treasury.

“გურჯისტანის ვილაიეთის დიდი დავთარი”, էջ 193: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 295.

1718 — 1719 yy․

During the governance of Village Head Halil Abdullah, viz. between 1718 and 1719, the state tax levied on the local population amounted to 3,333 akches.

“ჩილდირის ეიალეთის ჯაბა დავთარი 1694-1732 წწ.”, էջ 158: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 295.

1810 y․

In the days of the Russo-Turkish war of 1810, Kotelia found itself in the theatre of hostilities together with the other villages of Javakhk. Sherif Pasha of Akhaltskha ordered the entire Christian population of Javakhk, constituting the majority of the local inhabitants, to abandon their homes and cross the river Kur. The latter turned to Russians, declaring that they were ready to join them in their struggle against Turks if only they were provided with support. Lulled into a false sense of security by the Russian side, many of the Christians of Javakhk, especially, the residents of Kotelia stayed in their native villages. They, however, were to experience bitter disappointment, for they were robbed and consigned to the mercy of fate by the Georgian militia units which had stayed in the village for the purpose of protecting them.

“Акты собранные Кавказского археографическою коммиссиею”, т. IV, Тифлис, 1870, էջ 805: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 295.

1811 — 1812 yy․

During the Russo-Turkish war of 1811 to 1812, 57 families from Kotelia found temporary refuge in the village of Lilo located near Tiflis.

“Акты собранные Кавказского археографическою коммиссиею”, т. IV, Тифлис, 1870, էջ 18: Also see ლომსაძე შ., idem, p. 326. Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 295.

1899 — 1900 yy․

In the aftermath of the devastation caused to the agriculture of Kotelia by the cereal leaf and Hottentot beetles between 1899 and 1900, the Ad Hoc Governmental Committee ranked it among the second-class places affected by this natural disaster.

Սալլիւմեան, Անբերրիութիւնը Ախալքալաքի գաւառում եւ նրա հետեւանքները, «Մուրճ», 1901, N 6, էջ 248: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 295.

Population
1980 — 2004 yy․

For the purpose of increasing the number of the local Georgians, in the late 1980s, the authorities built 64 new houses in the village for Ajar immigrants. As of the year 2004, however, only 10 of the Ajar families still lived there.

მაისურაძე კ., ჯავახეთის ქართველებს ინგილოების ბედი ემუქრებათ, “Georgian Times”, 27.05-03.06.2004, N 21: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 296.

2004 y․

In the same year, 158 houses were officially registered in Kotelia, but in fact, it was inhabited by only 110 to 120 families.

მაისურაძე კ., ჯავახეთის ქართველებს ინგილოების ბედი ემუქრებათ, “Georgian Times”, 27.05-03.06.2004, N 21: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 296.

Earthquakes
1899 y․

The earthquake of 19 December 1899 destroyed only one of the 78 houses of the village.

«Մշակ», 1900, N 43, էջ 2: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 295.

Priests
1856 y․

An archive document of 1856 mentions Priest Nichola as the spiritual shepherd of Kotelia: “...Priest of the Greek inhabitants of the village of Kotelia Nichola...”

Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 56, ց. 1, գ. 3591, թ. 4: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 297.

The existing statistical records relating to the population of the purely Georgian village of Kotelia represent the following picture:

Dates	Georgian Houses	Total (Georgians)	Notes	Source
1810	112	560		“Акты собранные Кавказского археографическою коммиссиею”, т. IV, Тифлис, 1870, стр. 953. Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 296.
1832	28			Центральный государственный исторический архив Ленинграда, ф. 1268, о. 1, д. 246. Also see ლომსაძე შ., idem, p. 327. Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 296.
1899	78	681		«Մշակ», 1900, N 43, էջ 2: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 296.
1914		901		“Кавказский календарь на 1915 г.”,Тифлис, 1914, стр. 145: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 296.
1987	107	428		Substantiated by the documents kept at the Village Council. Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 296.
2004	158			მაისურაძე კ., ჯავახეთის ქართველებს ინგილოების ბედი ემუქრებათ, “Georgian Times”, 27.05-03.06.2004, N 21: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 296.