Image and liturgy : the Church of the Archangels in Tanghili

The small Church of the Archangels in Tanghili (thirteenth century) in Svaneti stands on a hill and probably served as a pilgrimage chapel on the path between two valleys. This study considers the intersection between biblical narratives known and used from homiletic texts and their visual equivalents, in particular the liturgical experience that took place in the sacred space of Tanghili. The architecture is unique for the region, as well as irregular for its cruciform type. The entirety of the plastered interior was decorated, by two artists, with paintings that adapt to the architecture. The only saint portrayed in the program is St George. The apse shows the "Deesis – Vision" type, in which the Mandylion is integrated, and accordingly demonstrates a strong eschatological character. The Mandylion is also the focus of the Christological cycle depicted in the naos. The eight scenes on the vault and walls are positioned in such a way as to connect spatially as well as theologically. A close connection between image and liturgy results from the linking of the pictural program with texts intoned within the sacred space.