Mtatsminda Father David Church

Mtatsminda Father David Church is a 19th century monument located on Mtatsminda Street in the middle of Mtatsminda. The first church on the site of today's temple was built at the end of the 6th century. In the 6th century, a group of ecclesiastical figures from the Church of Antioch came to Georgia to strengthen the Christian faith. One of them was Father David, who founded the Gareja Monastery. Before going to Gareji, he worked in Tbilisi, east of Mtatsminda, on the rock where he carved a cave. After Father David left the cave, people named the mountain "Mamadaviti" in his honor. In the X-XI centuries the second name of Mamadaviti mountain was named - Mtatsminda. A new temple was built on the site of the ancient church in the 9th century, which was destroyed over time. In the 10th century, a monastery was established here, which no longer existed in the 13th and 14th centuries. Plato Ioseliani writes: “Still in the life of St. David, a church was built here for the service of David. In the 9th century, another stone, dedicated to the Virgin of Iveria and named after a monastery, appeared in the administration of the Athenian monks. ” Written sources from 1542 inform us that the Catholicos of Georgia will be allowed to build the Church of the Mother of God on Mtatsminda for the monks David and Nikoloz Gabashvili. In 1809, the church built by the Gabashvilis was demolished and a new one was built on its remains. The foundation of the present-day temple was laid on September 22, 1859, when Exarch Eusebius consecrated it in the name of Mamadaviti. The interior of the church was painted in 1889. In 1891 a parish school was established near the church. Worship in the Mamadaviti temple was also observed during the enemy's raid, while worship services were held throughout Tbilisi.

Mtatsminda Pantheon of Writers and Public Figures is located near Father David Church. The terrace near the temple offers wonderful views of Tbilisi, which gives a special charm to this place.

Architecture

Mtatsminda Father David Church has the style of Georgian architecture, but it is an eclectic building. The church has a cross-domed shape, however, this structure is only external and is not reflected in the interior space, which is uniform and indivisible. The building is plain, the decorative arches only adorn the upper parts of the longitudinal walls of the facades. In the semicircular apse of the sanctuary there is a round window, under which a high cross of reddish stone is embedded in a brick pile. The apse occupies the width of the entire arm and draws attention from a distance. A wooden patroness is arranged in the elongated western arm of the interior. The church is built of brick. There are two entrances: one from the west and one from the south. The building is not distinguished by high architectural value. The interior was painted at the end of the XIX century. Images of saints of the Georgian Church occupy a large place in the painting. On both sides of the altar are placed icons of the Venerable David Garejeli and St. Nicholas. To the south of the church is a three-aisled chapel with a bell tower on the third floor. Two tiers are made of brick, the third is made of stone and has arches. The church of Father David Garejeli is located near the church.