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https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.43337#0436
CHAPTER TWO. THE ICONOGRAPHIC PROGRAMME | 433
distinguish the crowns on their heads but the rest of the painting is so
eroded that it is impossible to determine with any confidence whether
these were holy kings or queens. To the right of the entrance Constan-
tine the Great and his mother St Helena are depicted on both sides of
a large cross. Their figures are not combined in a distinct composition
but form part of a series of other depictions of royal saints. There are
two more frontal figures of holy women in royal garments to the other
side of St Helena; their gowns are decorated with torakion, shields that
point to their role as defenders of the Christian faith182. Taken together
these three depictions form a series of holy queens. Today the inscrip-
tion with their names no longer survives but when losseliani described
Akhtala in the mid-19th century he could still read the Georgian in-
scription «St Catherine» near the central figure183. It is noteworthy that
this saint is portrayed exactly below the figure of the Archangel Mi-
chael in «Joshua before the Archangel Michael». This would appear
quite deliberate.
Earlier the tradition was noted for «Joshua before the Archangel Mi-
chael» to be painted above the portraits of royal patrons. It is possible
that the depiction of St Catherine contained such an element of pa-
tronage. It may be suggested, though most cau-
tiously, that Catherine was distinguished with-
in this series because she was the patron saint
of Queen Tamar, who was faithfully served by
Ivane Mkhargrdzeli, the donor of the Akhtala
paintings, the leader of the Georgian-Arme-
nian forces. Unfortunately, the sources have
not preserved the Christian name of Queen
Tamar184. However, in the murals of the main
church in Vardzia, which was built on the or-
ders of Queen Tamar, there is a depiction of
St Catherine following immediately after the
queens portrait and an enormous shield deco-
rated with a large cross lies at the saints feet185.
Just as in the Akhtala mural she holds her
hands palms outwards in front of her breast in
the traditional gesture of receiving grace. If our
hypothesis is correct then the Archangel Mi-
chael and the figure of St Catherine whom he
178 Kuirakos, p. 120.
179 See Vardan, p. 171.
180 See Kuirakos, p. 122.
181 After the council, which refused to
accept the innovation, Zakare openly
challenged conservative ecclesias-
tical leaders (ibid., pp. 122-125). The
passing of the Monophysite Plindzah-
ank-Akhtala into Chalcedonian hands
might be one of the most probable
consequences of the council.
182 SeeJerphanion G. Le Thorakion, car-
acteristique iconographique du XIе sie-
cle//Melanges Ch. Diehl, II.Paris, 1930,
pp. 71-79.
183 losselianiЛ Travel notes from Tiflis
to Akhtala.Tiflis, 1850, p. 32. - In Rus-
sian.
184 I am deeply grateful to M.D. Lord-
kipanidze for her consultation on this
issue.
185 See Alibegashvili G.V. Secular portrait
in the Georgian medieval monumental
painting. Tbilisi, 1979. - In Russian.
distinguish the crowns on their heads but the rest of the painting is so
eroded that it is impossible to determine with any confidence whether
these were holy kings or queens. To the right of the entrance Constan-
tine the Great and his mother St Helena are depicted on both sides of
a large cross. Their figures are not combined in a distinct composition
but form part of a series of other depictions of royal saints. There are
two more frontal figures of holy women in royal garments to the other
side of St Helena; their gowns are decorated with torakion, shields that
point to their role as defenders of the Christian faith182. Taken together
these three depictions form a series of holy queens. Today the inscrip-
tion with their names no longer survives but when losseliani described
Akhtala in the mid-19th century he could still read the Georgian in-
scription «St Catherine» near the central figure183. It is noteworthy that
this saint is portrayed exactly below the figure of the Archangel Mi-
chael in «Joshua before the Archangel Michael». This would appear
quite deliberate.
Earlier the tradition was noted for «Joshua before the Archangel Mi-
chael» to be painted above the portraits of royal patrons. It is possible
that the depiction of St Catherine contained such an element of pa-
tronage. It may be suggested, though most cau-
tiously, that Catherine was distinguished with-
in this series because she was the patron saint
of Queen Tamar, who was faithfully served by
Ivane Mkhargrdzeli, the donor of the Akhtala
paintings, the leader of the Georgian-Arme-
nian forces. Unfortunately, the sources have
not preserved the Christian name of Queen
Tamar184. However, in the murals of the main
church in Vardzia, which was built on the or-
ders of Queen Tamar, there is a depiction of
St Catherine following immediately after the
queens portrait and an enormous shield deco-
rated with a large cross lies at the saints feet185.
Just as in the Akhtala mural she holds her
hands palms outwards in front of her breast in
the traditional gesture of receiving grace. If our
hypothesis is correct then the Archangel Mi-
chael and the figure of St Catherine whom he
178 Kuirakos, p. 120.
179 See Vardan, p. 171.
180 See Kuirakos, p. 122.
181 After the council, which refused to
accept the innovation, Zakare openly
challenged conservative ecclesias-
tical leaders (ibid., pp. 122-125). The
passing of the Monophysite Plindzah-
ank-Akhtala into Chalcedonian hands
might be one of the most probable
consequences of the council.
182 SeeJerphanion G. Le Thorakion, car-
acteristique iconographique du XIе sie-
cle//Melanges Ch. Diehl, II.Paris, 1930,
pp. 71-79.
183 losselianiЛ Travel notes from Tiflis
to Akhtala.Tiflis, 1850, p. 32. - In Rus-
sian.
184 I am deeply grateful to M.D. Lord-
kipanidze for her consultation on this
issue.
185 See Alibegashvili G.V. Secular portrait
in the Georgian medieval monumental
painting. Tbilisi, 1979. - In Russian.