Papers by Sandro Nikolaishvili
Scandinavian Journal of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, 2021
he conversion to Christianity of three Caucasian states on the eastern fringes of the Roman Empir... more he conversion to Christianity of three Caucasian states on the eastern fringes of the Roman Empire, Armenia, Kartli/Iberia, and Albania, was a turning point in the history of the Late Antique Caucasus. 1 In the 320s, King of Kartli Mirian III and his wife Nana became Christians as a consequence of apostolic activities of a Roman woman, named Nino. 2 According to the Georgian tradition, supported by Greek and Latin sources, King Mirian III wrote a letter to Emperor Constantine, informing him of his conversion and asking him to send high-ranking ecclesiastics to his kingdom. 3 Accounts of correspondence between Mirian and Constantine notwithstanding, the evidence is thin that the emperor was involved in the conversion of the royal house of Kartli. Christianity came to Kartli from Syria and Jerusalem and Cappadocia rather than from the core of the Roman Empire. Archeological materials show that Christianization in Kartli had advanced long before the royal conversion. Christian burials and symbols related to Christianity that date to the third century have been found throughout Kartli. 4 1 The article is written within the frame of the research programme Retracing Connections (https://retracingconnections.org/) financed by Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (M19-0430:1).
Interfaces: A Journal of Medieval European Literatures , 2022
The article investigates the reception history of the Metaphrastic menologion in
the medieval Geo... more The article investigates the reception history of the Metaphrastic menologion in
the medieval Georgian milieu. The Georgian literati were the first non-Greeks to
translate the metaphrastic hagiographical literature. Soon after Symeon Metaphrastes
(also called Symeon the Logothetes; end of tenth century) finished his
literary project, the Georgian monks at the monastery of Iviron on Mount Athos
started translating not only Symeon’s saints’ lives but also adopted metaphrastic
method and applied it to other texts. The tradition set in motion at Iviron was successfully
continued and cultivated by Georgians in various parts of the Byzantine
Empire, mainly in Constantinople and at the Black Mountain near Antioch. The increased
interest of the Georgian learned monks in Symeon Metaphrastes’ saints’
lives demonstrates the popularity of Metaphrastic menologion and success of
Symeon’s literary project. The article focuses on several extant Georgian sources
that provide unique information about Symeon Metaphrastes, his project and rewriting
method. The accounts by Ephrem Mc‘ire, Theophilos the Hieromonk, and
Ioannes Xiphilinos the Younger that survive only in Georgian, shed new light on
the history and trajectory of the metaphrastic movement. The accounts include
manuscript colophons, commentaries, and prayers for the rulers. These testimonies
allow one to understand why Georgians wholeheartedly embraced literary
trends set in motion in the center of the Byzantine Empire.
Institute of Georgian History proceedings VIII , 2013
Phasis: Greek and Roman Studies N13-14 , 2011
Blog by Sandro Nikolaishvili
Retracing Connections: Byzantine Storyworlds in Greek, Arabic, Georgian, and Old Slavonic (c. 950 – c.1100), 2024
Retracing Connections: Byzantine Storyworlds in Greek, Arabic, Georgian, and Old Slavonic (c. 950 – c. 1100), 2024
Conference Presentation by Sandro Nikolaishvili
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Papers by Sandro Nikolaishvili
the medieval Georgian milieu. The Georgian literati were the first non-Greeks to
translate the metaphrastic hagiographical literature. Soon after Symeon Metaphrastes
(also called Symeon the Logothetes; end of tenth century) finished his
literary project, the Georgian monks at the monastery of Iviron on Mount Athos
started translating not only Symeon’s saints’ lives but also adopted metaphrastic
method and applied it to other texts. The tradition set in motion at Iviron was successfully
continued and cultivated by Georgians in various parts of the Byzantine
Empire, mainly in Constantinople and at the Black Mountain near Antioch. The increased
interest of the Georgian learned monks in Symeon Metaphrastes’ saints’
lives demonstrates the popularity of Metaphrastic menologion and success of
Symeon’s literary project. The article focuses on several extant Georgian sources
that provide unique information about Symeon Metaphrastes, his project and rewriting
method. The accounts by Ephrem Mc‘ire, Theophilos the Hieromonk, and
Ioannes Xiphilinos the Younger that survive only in Georgian, shed new light on
the history and trajectory of the metaphrastic movement. The accounts include
manuscript colophons, commentaries, and prayers for the rulers. These testimonies
allow one to understand why Georgians wholeheartedly embraced literary
trends set in motion in the center of the Byzantine Empire.
Blog by Sandro Nikolaishvili
Conference Presentation by Sandro Nikolaishvili
the medieval Georgian milieu. The Georgian literati were the first non-Greeks to
translate the metaphrastic hagiographical literature. Soon after Symeon Metaphrastes
(also called Symeon the Logothetes; end of tenth century) finished his
literary project, the Georgian monks at the monastery of Iviron on Mount Athos
started translating not only Symeon’s saints’ lives but also adopted metaphrastic
method and applied it to other texts. The tradition set in motion at Iviron was successfully
continued and cultivated by Georgians in various parts of the Byzantine
Empire, mainly in Constantinople and at the Black Mountain near Antioch. The increased
interest of the Georgian learned monks in Symeon Metaphrastes’ saints’
lives demonstrates the popularity of Metaphrastic menologion and success of
Symeon’s literary project. The article focuses on several extant Georgian sources
that provide unique information about Symeon Metaphrastes, his project and rewriting
method. The accounts by Ephrem Mc‘ire, Theophilos the Hieromonk, and
Ioannes Xiphilinos the Younger that survive only in Georgian, shed new light on
the history and trajectory of the metaphrastic movement. The accounts include
manuscript colophons, commentaries, and prayers for the rulers. These testimonies
allow one to understand why Georgians wholeheartedly embraced literary
trends set in motion in the center of the Byzantine Empire.
So who was Queen Tamar? How did she rise to power and outmanoeuvre her enemies? And why do the myths about her rule publicised by her faithful chroniclers persist till today?
Bridget Kendall is joined by Dr. Ekaterine Gedevanishvili, Senior Researcher at the National Centre for the History of Georgian Art in Tbilisi; Alexander Mikaberidze, Professor of History at Louisiana State University; Dr. Sandro Nikolaishvili, researcher at the University of Southern Denmark, who works on retracing connections between the Byzantine and Georgian worlds; and Donald Rayfield, Emeritus Professor of Russian and Georgian at Queen Mary, University of London.
The Programme is supported by the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation.