Saorbisi Saint George’s Church

Saorbisi Saint George’s Church stands on a high rocky hill on the left bank of the Tedzami River, on the southern outskirts of Fitsesi village in Gori Municipality, Shida Kartli. Dated to 1152, it combines carved facades with surviving fragments of 12th-century wall painting.

History and the building inscription

A slab above the eastern window bears a building inscription in the Georgian Asomtavruli script. It names Kakha, bearing the title eristavt-eristavi, as the builder and dates the church to 1152. The prayer asks Saint George to have mercy on Kakha and his children and to protect their village and land, those who trust in the saint, and the builder of his temple. The inscription ends with a chronicon date transcribed as “ტაბ” (1152).

In 1962, the church underwent partial restoration: it was roofed and its facades repaired. The damaged fabric and surviving paintings remain important parts of its history.

Architecture and facades

The hall church measures 17 × 12.5 metres. Built of carefully dressed sandstone blocks, it stands on a high plinth, with its western facade overlooking a rocky slope. The southern entrance is approached through a southwest annex.

The semicircular apse has one window and two niches; a further window opens in each of the north and south walls. A finely worked but badly damaged sanctuary screen separates the altar area from the hall.

Broad surrounds frame the eastern and southern windows, decorated with floral and geometric carving. An equal-armed cross is cut at the apex of the eastern gable. Enclosure walls meet the church on its northern and southern sides, with an entrance to the southwest.

Paintings in the sanctuary

The surviving interior paintings are contemporary with the building. Fragments of a Deesis, or intercessory prayer composition, remain in the apse conch: Christ’s right foot with traces of golden-ochre underpainting and a brown outline, part of a reddish-brown tunic, and a square-shaped throne leg divided into rectangular panels. A fragment of a six-winged seraph survives to the north.

The second, lower register contains six front-facing Church Fathers. Paintings in the window reveals are better preserved. Asomtavruli inscriptions identify the deacons Saint Stephen and Saint Germanos. The Church Fathers have yellow haloes, while those of the deacons are greyish violet.

Wall scenes and colour

On the eastern part of the north wall, the Entry into Jerusalem survives as fragments of a horse and a child facing Christ. Two half-length martyrs can be distinguished towards the western end of the same wall; one is a warrior.

The eastern part of the south wall retains a damaged scene of Saint George fighting the dragon on a reddish horse. Christ’s head is depicted in the entrance tympanum. Other fragments above and to the right of the doorway, and on the west wall, can no longer be identified.

The southern window reveals have plant ornament: three-petalled flowers, yellow shoots and stamens against black. Such motifs are characteristic of Georgian monumental painting of the 11th–12th centuries. The restrained palette combines brick red, golden ochre, light blue, reddish brown and grey; the static figures have a solemn presence.

Visiting and nearby places

Take care on the rocky hillside and avoid touching the paintings. Begin with the exterior inscription and carving, then allow time for the interior scenes if access is available.

A journey through the Tedzami Valley can also include Khovle Aqueduct, or Kvakhida. For a longer itinerary, consider Rkoni Monastery, planning its approach and walking section separately.