Ikorta Church of the Archangel

Zemo Artsevi Village, Georgia
1172
The twelfth-century Ikorta Church of the Archangel in Georgia was the most highly ornamented ecclesiastical structure in the region. When it was commissioned by King George III in 1172, he stipulated that it be fitted with a dome, making it an early and influential example of cult architecture in medieval Georgia. Tall, narrow windows were outlined with carved stone frames, and sculptural embellishments were applied to all exterior elevations. Surviving fragments of artistically significant murals are found in the interior. In the late Middle Ages, a monastery was founded in Ikorta that remained active until the early nineteenth century. The church has always been a much revered structure in Georgia. Although the church survived a severe earthquake in 1991, much of the dome collapsed; facing masonry has fallen off, vaults, pendantives, and piers have been compromised, and stone floors have fallen in. These problems are exacerbated, ironically, by mangled interior scaffolding, which had been installed so that workers could make repairs. Access to the interior is now greatly impeded.