Fragments of the Templons Discovered in Racha in the Recent Decade

Stone and plaster templons from various villages of Racha, such as Chordi, Ghunda, Skhieri, Bokwa, Zemo Bari, Seva, Samtisi, and Kedisubani have been discovered in recent decades. They date back to the 10th and 11th centuries and are less known or completely unknown to the academic circles of art historians. These artifacts have analogies among stone carvings of the same period (templons from Potoleti, Khashuri, Mtskheta, Tsebelda, Djruchi, Savane, Spety, etc.). Despite the artistic and stylistic similarities with the above-mentioned items, some create a separate group or originate from the same workshop. The study of the above specimens has shown a wide range of templons from Racha, and their examination has increased the importance of their study within the whole process of stone carving of X-XI centuries in the specified region.