John Ancheli

John Ancheli, Rkinaeli, 12^th–13^th century Georgian church figure, hymnographer, Archbishop of Anchi, contemporary of Queen Tamar.

The information that has come down to us about him is very scarce. In the testament of the Gospel of Tbeti (12^th century), he is mentioned as the brother of Arsen the Monk (11^th–12^th centuries); from the inscription on the 12^th century icon (Anchiskhati), it is clear that John Ancheli had the icon carved by Beka Opizari on the orders of Queen Tamar. The inscription on the icon reads: “... I, John Ancheli, Rkinaeli, took the honor of carving this icon…”. John Ancheli is the author of the acrostic hymn Galobani Anchiskhatisani (endnote – “To the icon of the Anchi, I, John Ancheli sing”), which was published by M. Janashvili in 1903.

 

Literary work: ძველი ქართული ლი­ტე­რა­ტუ­რის ქრესტომათია, შემდგ. სოლ. ყუბანეი­შვი­ლი, [ტ.] 1, თბ., 1946.

Literature: კეკელიძე კ., ქართული ლი­ტე­რა­ტუ­რის ისტორია, ტ. 1, თბ., 1960; სულავა  ნ., XII–XIII საუკუნეების ქართული ჰიმნოგრაფია, თბ., 2003.

 

L. Jghamaia