Matani Tskhrakara - The Issue of Dating

Determination of the date of erection of Matani “Tskhrakara~ church was of special significance for the understanding of the development of Early Christian Georgian architecture. Based on studies undertaken by G. Chubinashvili as early as 1920-1920s and later on, in 1950s, the church was ascribed to the 5th c., similar to Dzveli Shuamta basilica. New observations carried out on the church proved that, due to its structural, artistic and functional characteristics, it shows closer affinity with the architecture of the Transitional Period, namely, 8th-9th cc. and not of earlier epoch. For the first researcher of the church, decisive factor for the determination of the date of its construction was similarity of the plan layout of Matani church with Early Christian basilica in Dzveli Shuamta, while Akhmeta “Gvtaeba~ church, dated to the 6th c. by that time, which was referred to for the comparative analysis, served as an additional argument. In 1980s, I. Elizbarashvili has studied a group of churches, which she identified as the two-nave church typological group and, within this group, convincingly dated Akhmeta church to the 8th c.
Our study has clearly shown crucial differences revealed by the comparative analysis of Dzveli Shuamta and Matani churches, which definitely point to the later period of construction of the latter. Great affinity of various elements of Matani church and of the tendency manifested in them with such monuments of the Transitional Period as Akhmeta “Gvtaeba~ church, Baikho Trinity church, Davati church of the Virgin, Nedzisi “Bziana~ church, Sakdrioni church of St. George, three-nave basilica in Sno Akhaltsikhe, Tskhvarichamia “Didi Sakdari~, Bagiantkari church, Tabakini, Tsirkoli, Kabeni churches, Telovani church of Holy Cross, Nekresi domed church, Vachnadziani Kvelatsminda church, etc. give grounds to ascribe Matani church to the Transitional Period, namely, 8th-9th cc.