Eredvi basilica
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ერედვის ბაზილიკა | |
 Eredvi basilica of St. George | |
 Interactive map of Eredvi basilica | |
| Location | Eredvi, Eredvi Municipality, Shida Kartli, Georgia / Tskhinvali District, South Ossetia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°14′54″N 44°02′19″E / 42.248447°N 44.038632°E |
| Type | Three-church basilica |
The Eredvi basilica of Saint George (Georgian: ერედვის წმინდა გიორგის ბაზილიკა, romanized: eredvis ts'minda giorgis bazilik'a) is an early 10th-century Georgian Orthodox church in the village of Eredvi in the Shida Kartli region, currently in the disputed territory of South Ossetia. It was constructed by the architect Tevdore Taplaisdze, who laid foundation of the church in 906 as related in a Georgian inscription on the building. The church is a three-nave basilica, which, despite later reconstructions, has largely preserved its original architectural features. The church is inscribed on the list of the Immovable Cultural Monuments of National Significance of Georgia. After the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, the Georgians lost access to the church and services there were restricted by the South Ossetian authorities.
The Eredvi church of St. George is located in the village of Eredvi in the Little Liakhvi valley, 5 km northwest of the city of Tskhinvali. The village, whose recorded history goes back to the 14th century,[1] was part of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast in Soviet Georgia, remained under the Georgian control after the 1991–1992 South Ossetia War, and was overran by the Russian and South Ossetian forces in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War. During the August 2008 hostilities, the curtain wall of the Eredvi church was partially damaged.[2] According to the United States Department of State's International Religious Freedom Report for 2014, the South Ossetian authorities did not permit services in the Georgian Orthodox churches, such as Eredvi.[3] In 2017, the largely ruined village Eredvi, deprived of its ethnic Georgian population, was completely demolished by the South Ossetian authorities with the Russian aid.[4] The church was reported standing untouched by the Tskhinvali-based South Ossetian media[5] and a local video blogger.[6]
The church was placed on the list of the Immovable Cultural Monuments of National Significance of Georgia in 2007.[7] It is protected as part of the Greater Liakhvi Valley Museum and Reserve, whose administration, after the 2008 war, is based in exile in the Verkhvebi neighborhood of Gori and is tasked with collecting information on cultural monuments in South Ossetia left beyond Georgia's control.[8]