Abstract:

The historic Tao-Klarceti region centered between Artvin and Erzurum was the administrative center of the Georgian Bagratian Kingdom from the 8th century until the 14th century. With the beginning of the spread of Christianity in the region since the 4th century, the people abandoned pagan beliefs and began to accept this new religion. From the 7th and 8th centuries onwards, the religious architecture of the region began to take shape of monasteries and churches on the basis of Christianity. During the Tamara period (Late 12th and early 13th centuries), the kingdom experienced its golden age in every sense; new religious buildings were built in the region and those in need were restored. Bagratis, as to Christian traditions, were fed from Eastern Rome (Byzantine), the neighbor, one of the strongest powers of the period. Such many traditions as Orans Position having an iconographic meaning in Christian art, also found meaning in Tao-Klarceti architecture. There are many scenes with Orans Position in the Old Monastery Church, one of the rare monastic churches that reflects the strong artistic expression of the period. The depictions of the saints and the kings, especially the angel figures, are staged in the orange position. The aim of this study is to analyze the depictions of the orange position in the stone decorations in the Tao-Klarceti region.