Zarzma Monastery (Samtskhe-Javakheti Region)
Zarzma Monastery (Georgian: ზარზმის მონასტერი – Zarzma Monastery is an important monument of building art, in which some new features characteristic of Georgian architecture of that time are clearly visible – changes in the proportions of the building and the system of façade decoration. Numerous carvings decorating the edges of doors and windows are a clear example of the high level of development of the art of stone carving in feudal Georgia. The monastery has a long and difficult history, which began in the Tao-Klarjeti region. The construction of the monastery (VIII-IX centuries) is attributed to the name of the Georgian saint – Serapion Zarzmeli (Georgian: An outstanding monument of Georgian architecture and an educational center in the historical region of Georgia – Samtskhe (Georgian: სამცხე ), it was founded in difficult times for the country. Almost nothing remains of the building from that time.
At the end of the 13th century, the Zarzma Monastery was destroyed by an earthquake and was practically rebuilt at the beginning of the 14th century. The formation of the architectural ensemble also dates back to that time: the construction of the main buildings and the painting of the cathedral church and bell tower. It is worth noting the painting of the monastery, all the frescoes and figures of which have been practically preserved in their original form. Separately, it is worth mentioning the bell tower, which is one of the oldest and largest in Georgia. In the 16th century, the region came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. The famous icon of the Transfiguration of the Lord was transferred to the monastery of the village of Shemokmedi, where a church was specially built for this occasion, which was named Zarzma (Georgian: შემოქმედის ზარზმის ეკლესია). Currently, the icon, which is one of the important examples of Georgian engraving art, is kept in the Art Museum. In the Zapzma Monastery, there is an incorruptible corpse found in the area, which, judging by its clothing, presumably belongs to a monk.
Zarzma village (Georgian: სოფელი ზარზმა), Adigeni Municipality (Georgian: ადიგენის მუნიციპალიტეტი)