Ananuri

Ananuri (Lang-ka| ანანური (ძეგლი)) is a castle complex on the Aragvi River in Georgia, about 45 miles from Tbilisi.

History

Ananuri was a castle and seat of the "eristavis" (Dukes) of Aragvi, a feudal dynasty which ruled the area from the 13th century. The castle was the scene of numerous battles.

In 1739, Ananuri was attacked by forces from a rival duchy, the Shamshe of Kasni and was set on fire. The Aragvi clan was massacred. However, four years later, the local peasants revolted againt rule by the Shamshe, killing the upsurpers and inviting King Teimuraz II to rule directly over them. However, in 1746, King Teimuraz was forced to suppress another peasant uprising, with the help of King Erekle II of Kakheti. The fortress remained in use until the begininng of the 19th century. In 2007, the complex has been on the tenative list for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage Site program.

Architecture

The fortifications consist of two castles joined by by a crenalated curtain wall. The upper fortification with a large square tower, known as "Sheupovari", is well-preserved and is the location of the last defense of the Aragvi against the Shamshe. The lower fortification, with a round tower, is mostly in ruins.

Within the complex, amongst other buildings, are two churches. The older Church of the Virgin, which abuts a tall square tower, has the graves of some of the Dukes of Aragvi. It dates from the first half of the 17th century, and was built of brick. The interior is no longer decorated, but of interest is a stone baldaquin erected by the widow of the Duke Edishera, who died in 1674.

The larger Church of the Assumption ("Ghvtismshobeli"), built in 1689 for the son of Duke Bardzem. It is a central dome style structure with richly decorated facades, including a carved north entrance and a carved grapevine cross on the south façade. It also contains the remains of a number of frescoes, most of which were destroyed by the fire in the 18th century.

References

*Rosen, Roger. "Georgia: A Sovereign Country of the Caucasus." Odyssey Publications: Hong Kong, 1999. ISBN 9622177484

External links

* [http://www.parliament.ge/~lika/ancient/ananuri/ananuri_about.htm Georgian government site]
* [http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/asia/ananuri.shtml Pictures of Ananuri]
* [http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5222/ UNESCO site]