Tsalka Municiaplity, Georgia: The National Agency for Protection of Cultural Heritage of Georgia has completed the emergency rehabilitation works of the dome of the Church of the Virgin Mary Church. It is located in the Ananuri Prison ensemble of National Category Cultural Heritage in the village of Ananuri of Dusheti Municipality.
In August 2024, the head of the Church of Notre Dame addressed the agency about the mirror falling from the church dome. A group of specialists was sent to Ananuri. After the initial inspection, emergency works were planned. The damaged mirror falling off the neck of the dome was replaced with a new wooden mirror, while the rest of the mirrors were reinforced with anchors and coated with frost-proof material.
For the works performed by LLC “Khazma“, the agency spent 19 947 GEL.
The main garbage of the ensemble – The Church of the Virgin is located east of the Khevsura tower. According to the building inscription, in 1689 it passed to Kaikhosro Bagsarashvili by the order of Secretary Beg Bardzimi.
The church is a central dome shrine (23,1mX17,2m), built with stone squares. The entrance is from the south and north. The interior comprises four arms of the cross and a dome raised in the center, which leans on the apside angles and two octagonal poles. On the sides of the deep semicircular apside, to the north, there is an obsidian tract, to the south – a rectangle deacon.
Virgin Mary Church
Virgin Mary church is a cultural heritage site. It is located in Kvemo Kartli, Tsalka municipality, in the center of the village Dashbashi. The local Armenian population built the church in the XIX century, on the ruins of the old Georgian church.
