Material: ქვა
Object type: ფილა
Dimensions: w 56 x h 56 x d 12 cm
Text: Six line inscription. The figure of two blossoming crosses with equal size cross bars are embedded along the window of the first floor of the church bell-tower. The inscription is located between the cross bars of the right cross. Engraved Asotavruli inscription. cm
Letters: 3-4-7
Date: X AD (lettering, architectural, context)
Findspot: Kheoti The village Kheoti is located in historic district of Samtskhe, 25 km to the south-west from Akhaltsikhe on the shore of Buziklapia which is one of the tributaries of the river Urvalistskali. Here are the relics of the X century church and XVI-XV century bell-tower. The bell-tower is a two floor building. The first floor has the shape of a rhombus, the second floor is a pavilion with eleven open sections. The first floor is a church. At the left door of the church there is the doorway from the inner side that goes down to the crypt - used as a tomb. The nine inscriptions on different stones were found on different walls of the church during the archaeological excavations and conservation works in 1995-1996. Four inscriptions of the bell-tower were known before that: two outside of the bell-tower and two inside in the altar of the church. It seems that in XIV-XV cc while building the bell-tower the stones had been reused and positioned in a noticeable place - in the altar of the church on the both sides of one of the windows in front of the altar-stele.
Original location: Kheoti
Last recorded location(s): Kheoti
Text type:Unknown
Editor(s): Valeri Silogava
Changes history:2019-10-29 Eka Kvirkvelia ტექსტის სრული კოდირება, მეტამონაცემების სრული კოდირება, ბმულებით დაკავშირება ავტორიტეტულ წყაროსთან
Publication details:Ilia State University, Institute of Linguistic Studies; დოკუმენტი ვრცელდება Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 ლიცენზიით.
Translation
Christ, glorify Ulumpia from Khandzta, they did build.
Commentary
Valeri Silogava considers that Ulumpia Khandzteli is a female ktetor of the church. If we read the last word („built”) correctly then Ulumpia Khandzteli was either the one who ordered to build these crosses, that has this inscription between its crossbars, or she is the builder of the church. It is more likely that she is from the village Khandzta and not from the famous Khandzta Monastery. As for the reading ჲ at the end of the word “ხცთჲ” Khandzteli, the similar orthographic characteristic is present in XI century inscription from Kheoti: „მჴეცჲ“ (Mkhetsi inscription). Valeri Silogava considers that the inscription of Ulumpia Khandzteli is earlier than other inscriptions from Kheoti. The letters are low and circle shaped. As the letters of the Nuskhuri alphabet are mixed with Asomtavruli, the inscription of Kheoti church can be dated to the IX century as this tendency is common from the IX century. The mark of abbreviation horizontal straight line.
Bibliography
სილოგავა, 2013 ვალერი სილოგავა, სამცხის ლაპიდარული ეპიგრაფიკა, 118-169
სილოგავა, 1997 ვალერი სილოგავა, ხეოთის ახალაღმოჩენილი წარწერები, 7-37