St Demetrios in Medieval Georgian Art
Marina Bulia2023, Saint Demetrios in Medieval Georgian Art
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Abstract
The cult of St Demetrios, the Great Martyr of the Christian Church, the history of his holy relics, and religious, historical and sociopolitical aspects relating to their veneration, along with separate images and hagiographic cycles of the saint, surviving from the Middle Ages, have long been addressed in Byzantine studies. However, in Georgia, it was the Georgian redaction of the Vita of St Demetrios that became the subject of scholarly interest, with other aspects of his cult having been largely underexplored. This should not be surprising, given the lack of knowledge regarding the veneration of the saint in Georgia. Written records are scarce, while his images featured on works of art appear traditional at first sight, and therefore less notable. The veneration of St Demetrios attracted more interest after the discovery of a small chapel in the Dodorka Monastery of the Mother of God at Davitgareji in 2015, the largest portion of wall paintings of which is taken up by the hagiographic cycle of St Demetrios–something that was extremely uncommon to Georgia. The discovery has determined the need to revisit the topic of the veneration of the great saint in medieval Georgia, and has raised questions that are highly relevant not only for Georgian, but also for Byzantine studies. This book is a first attempt to engage with the theme of the veneration of St Demetrios in medieval Georgia through the study of written records, the history of holy relics and images surviving in the Church of St Demetrios, and in different works of art, such as wall paintings, sculptures, miniatures, and chased and painted icons.
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