Barakoni

Barakoni Church of the Mother of God ( _ka. ბარაკონის ღვთისმშობლის ტაძარი), commonly known as Barakoni (ბარაკონი), is an Orthodox church in Georgia, in the mountainous western province of Racha (modern-day Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti).

Located near the town of Ambrolauri, Barakoni was commissioned, in 1753, by the local lord (eristavi) Rostom of Racha from the architect Avtandil Shulavreli who is commemorated in the inscription of the eastern façade. It is a domed cruciform church and one of the last important monuments in the tradition of medieval Georgian architecture. The church is build of neatly trimmed stable stand stones and adorned with rich ornamentation. The church was closed and desecrated under the Bolshevik rule. It suffered further damage, though not serious, in the the 1991 Racha earthquake, but was quickly repaired. [Sergiei Balassanian, Armando Cisternas, Mikael Melkumyan (2000), "Earthquake Hazard and Seismic Risk Reduction", p. 130. Springer, ISBN 0792363906.] [ge icon M. Dvali (1993). ბარაკონის ღვთისმშობლის ტაძარი ("Barakoni Church of the Mother of God"). "Dzgelis Megobari" 2: 23-7.]

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