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Mariam Didebulidze

Dr. Mariam Didebulidze (მარიამ დიდებულიძე) graduated from the Department of Art History  at the Tbilisi State Academy of Fine Arts. Since then she is a Leading researcher  of  G. Chubinashvili National Research Center for History of Georgian Art history and Heritage Preservation;, (Tbilisi, Georgia). In 2008-2018 she was  a director of  the Chubinashvili Centre. In 1997-2002 Dr. Didebulidze was a Deputy Director of The Fund for Preservation of Cultural Heritage of Georgia (the World Bank Project). Since 1989 Dr. Didebulidze has been professor of the Tbilisi Theological Academy. (lectures on the History of Byzantine Painting);

Main field of her academic  research is Medieval Christian art and architecture in Georgia; medieval mural painting in particular. Dr. Didebulidze's activities cover the field of cultural heritage preservation as well. She is professor of the Tbilisi Theological Academy (History of Byzantine Painting)..

Most of her  academic works - books and articles deals with the issues of the Georgian  medieval art, as well as with  its relations with the Byzantine art in general:  


  1. The Tradition of Representation of  the Mother of God in Medieval Georgian Art,   in the Book: The Tradition of the Adoration of the Theotokos in the Orthodox Church, editor D. Muskhelishvili, Nova publishers, NY, 2020, pp. . 205-220.

  2. Representation of Architecture in Medieval Georgian Murals, Bulletin of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences, vol. 13, no.3,2019. pp 150-156.

  3. Cultural interaction in Caucasus and Beyond: investigation issues, in Cultural Interactions in medieval Georgia; ed. by M. Bacci, Th. Kaffenberger, M. Studer, Wiesbaden, 2018, pp. 27-45 

  4. Medieval painting in Abkhazia), in Kulturuli memkvidreoba okupaciis pirobebshi (cultural heritage under occupation), proceedings of the scientific conference, Tbilisi, 2015, 53-68. (in Georgian)

  5. Tao-Klarjeti murals; Interaction of Cultural Traditions, inSynergies in visual culture, Festschrift für Gerhard Wolf,  München, 2013; 215-228

  6. Wall Paintings of the Holy Cross Monastery in Jerusalem, (with M. Janjalia), Iberica Caucasica, vol.2,  London, Bennet and Bloom, 2014, pp. 46-66

  7. Ancient Georgian Art (with D. Tumanishvili), Tbilisi, 2008.

  8. ST. Nicholas in the 13th c. mural painting of Kintsvisi church, Georgia, ICONOGRAPHICA, Firenze, VI, 2007, (61-77) 

  9. Atrisic aspects of the 13th c. wall paintung of the St Nicholas church at Kintsvisi, Ph.D Thesis, 2006 (ij Georgian)







Articles

25/04/2024

MURALS OF THE ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH AT KINTSVISI MONASTERY

St. Nicholas church, a cross-dome brick construction, was commissioned by Antoni Glonistavisdze, Archbishop of Tshkondidi and Mtsignobartukhutsesi (the chancellor) of Queen Tamar, in the early 13th c.

25/04/2024

MURALS OF THE ROCK-HEWN CHURCH AT VARDZIA

Vardzia’s rock-hewn architectural ensemble is situated in historic Javakheti, South Georgia, on the left bank of the river Mtkvari. It served as fortification, as well as religious and habitation purposes, and has outstanding artistic and historical significance.

25/04/2024

THE WALL PAINTING OF THE VIRGIN CHURCH AT TIMOTESUBANI

The church of the Virgin at Timotesubani is located on the bank of the River Toristskali in the picturesque Borjomi gorge, not far from the town of Borjomi itself in the historic region of Tori. In historic sources the monastery is referred to as Kimotesmani and was founded by Shalva Toreli, eristavt-eristavi, the chancellor of Queen Tamar.

25/04/2024

WALL PAINTINGS OF THE HOLY CROSS MONASTERY

The Holy Cross Monastery in Jerusalem occupies a special place among the churches and monasteries that have been associated with the activities of Georgians in the Holy Land since the 5th c.

25/04/2024

BETANIA: WALL PAINTINGS OF THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY OF THE VIRGIN

Betania monastery is located in the valley of the River Vera, not far from Tbilisi. The monastery was founded in the 11th century by the powerful Orbeliani family, and became a shrine for its members.

25/04/2024

WALL PAINTINGS OF THE TAO-KLARJETI CHURCHES

The Tao-Klarjeti region, which is located in what is now north-eastern Turkey, used to be one of the most prominent political and cultural centres of medieval Georgia, especially in the 9th –13th cc. The history of these monuments is closely linked to one of the most important moments in the history of Georgia – namely the upsurge of a strong movement aimed at unifying the Georgian kingdoms and principalities was initiated in this very region in the 9-10th cc.

25/04/2024

MURALS OF OTKHTA EKLESIA CHURCH

The Tenth Century Murals of Otkhta Ekleisia Church (Dőrt Kilise) in Tao-Klarjeti (present-day Turkey)

25/04/2024

MURALS OF THE CHURCH OF THE DORMITION OF THE VIRGIN IN LIKHNE

The church was decorated with murals from the very beginning of the 11thc. Unfortunately, very scant fragments of these paintings are preserved in the diaconicon and prosthesis, mostly comprising ornamental bands, as well as a few figures: e.g. the figure of the Prophet Zachariah with an accompanying Georgian inscription. Both the paleography of the inscriptions and the style of the painting reveal many common features with murals from this period in other regions of Georgia, namely Tao-Klarjeti.

25/04/2024

MURALS OF SVETITSKHOVELI CATHEDRAL IN MTSKHETA

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is the leading religious center of Georgia. This is the place where catholicos-patriarchs of Georgia have been consecrated since early Christian times. and where Holy Ointment has been prepared for distribution throughout the entire country. However, the foremost significance and sacred meaning of this location is rooted in the ancient belief that the Tunic of Christ, his only material relic, is buried here.

25/04/2024

THE MURALS OF BUGEULI CHURCH

The village of Bugeuli is located in Racha, in the highlands of western Georgia, not far from the regional center Ambrolauri. The 15th-16th century single- nave church built of well-hewn stones stands in the center of the village cemetery. Both the building and the murals in the interior suffered greatly from an earthquake in 1991.

25/04/2024

MURALS OF ZARZMA CHURCH

Zarzma Church of the Dormition of the Virgin is located in Samtskhe, a historical southern region of Georgia. The first church was built here in the 9th century. It was founded by the holy monk St. Serapion of Zarzma. The church was reconstructed several times, the most recent being at the turn of the 13th-14th centuries. The church is a cross-in-square building with a tripartite arched gallery to the south. It is built of well-cut ashlars. It is characterized by features common to Georgian architecture from the second half of the 13th and the 14th centuries. Nearby the church is a belfry that dates from the same period.

25/04/2024

THE MURALS OF THE ST. BARBARA CHURCH IN KHE, UPPER SVANETI

A small single-nave church dedicated to St. Barbara (Barbal) is located in the village of Khe in the Kala community, Upper Svaneti. It was built of well-cut stones at the turn of the 11th century. The vault of the church is supported by an arch resting on pilasters that divide the side walls into two compartments, each of which features blind arches.

AUTHORS AT ATINATI