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but at the earlier capital
1
of Mtskheta. Tbilisi
became the capital in
the 6th centur y;
archaeological records
indicate that Mtskheta
was founded in the
second half of the first
millennium B.C.
The cathedral of
the Living Pillar at
Mtskheta, in Georgian
known as Svetitskhoveli,
provided the main
architectural inspiration
for the cathedral of the
Holy Trinity at Tbilisi
(Figure 2). Svetitskhoveli
also includes an early
14th-century miniature
replica of the Church of
the Holy Sepulchre on
the southern side of the
nave; the intention was
to create a provocative
proxy pilgrimage site
within this Georgian Figure 1. Archil Mindiashvili, Holy Trinity
Orthodox cathedral,
Cathedral, 1995-2004 (image:author)
registering its spiritual
intimacy with Jerusalem
and making a strong theological connection with its most precious relic, the
robe for which the soldiers cast lots at Christ’s Passion. Notably, there are two
inscriptions on the surface of the Mtskheta cathedral itself, that may identify
its architect. Such a signature is rare indeed in architectural history. The

1 For further discussion of Mtskheta, see Gocha R. Tsetskhladze, ‘ANCIENT WEST AND EAST:
MTSKHETA, CAPITAL OF CAUCASIAN IBERIA’, Mediterranean Archaeology, Vol. 19/20
(2006/07), pp. 75-107

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