Jerusalem Scientific Expedition

Jerusalem Scientific Expedition, a scientific expedition, consisting of I. Abashidze, A. Shanidze and G. Tsereteli, to study the antiquities of the Georgian Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem in October-November 1960.

According to ancient Georgian sources, a portrait of Shota Rustaveli was supposed to have been depicted on one of the columns of the monastery. Based on previous descriptions, the Jerusalem Scientific Expedition (T. Gabashvili, N. Chubinashvili, A. Tsagareli and others), located the place of the fresco, which was completely covered with black paint. After removing the top layer of paint, it became possible to completely restore the fresco. It depicts Shota Rustaveli, dressed in secular clothing, kneeling with his hands raised in a prayer before two saints – John of Damascus and Maximus the Confessor. The inscription on the fresco, which was not previously mentioned in the sources, was also restored: “May God have mercy on Shota, who painted this, Amen”. Below the image of the poet is the inscription: “Rustveli”.

Along with the photos of the fresco, the Jerusalem Scientific Expedition brought back to Georgia other photographs of the Monastery of the Cross. The Jerusalem portrait of Shota Rustaveli, with its antiquity and significance, is unique for the poet’s biography. In recent years, the fresco has been damaged several times. After the last (2004) damage, the scratched fresco was restored (2005).

 

Literature: აბაშიძე ი., სიტყვები. გზები. სახეები. თბ., 1971; აბაშიძე ი., შანიძე ა., წერეთელი გ., შოთა რუსთაველი ჯვრის მონასტერში, «საბჭოთა ხელოვნება», 1960, №12; შანიძე ა., ვეფხისტყაოსნის საკითხები, [ტ.] 1, თბ., 1966.

 

S. Tsaishvili