The Pictorial Compositions on the Cross Stelae in Georgia (Fifth-Ninth Centuries)

Abstract

In the Gogarene region, the period of peak production of the area’s stone crosses - the mid-sixth century through the seventh - was particularly favorable for local governors. This paper investigates the practice of incorporating real persons into devotional images, focusing on many depictions of local personages included in Gogarene crosses’ pictorial compositions amid biblical scenes, with local saints, and in symbolic imagery. The desired effect of this practice was to guarantee the commemoration of these persons in prayers said before the crosses. In the case of the cross at Mtskheta, comparison between the Georgian Lectionary’s content and information surrounding the stational liturgy of Jerusalem confirms that, besides prayers, biblical texts were also read before such crosses.