From the History of the Arrival of the True Cross in Georgia

This article explores the complex historical and theological narratives surrounding the arrival of the True Cross—the Life-Giving Wood—in Georgia, as preserved in medieval Georgian chronicles and ecclesiastical writings. Drawing upon primary sources such as the Conversion of Kartli, the chronicles of Leonti Mroveli, Nikoloz Gulaberidze, and Arsen Ikaltoeli, as well as later accounts by Prince Teimuraz, Niko Dadiani, and Platon Ioseliani, the study reconstructs the multi-layered tradition of how fragments of the Holy Cross were brought from Byzantium to Kartli during the reign of King Mirian. According to these sources, Emperor Constantine the Great and Queen Helena dispatched to Georgia two sacred relics—the “Wood of Life” and the “Boards of the Feet”—marking the earliest manifestation of Christianity’s sacred material culture in the Caucasus. The discussion further examines the subsequent removal of these relics by Emperor Heraclius in the 7th century and alternative accounts suggesting their partial retention in Georgian churches such as Manglisi, Alaverdi, and Nikortsminda. In addition to tracing these textual traditions, the article investigates the symbolic continuity between the veneration of the Life-Giving Cross and the pre-Christian cult of the evergreen tree (urtkheli), which profoundly influenced Georgian religious thought and sacred architecture, most notably in the legend of the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral’s Living Pillar. Through this synthesis of historical and mythological sources, the study situates the Georgian tradition of the True Cross within the broader Christian and Indo-European cultural continuum, revealing its enduring role in shaping Georgia’s spiritual and national identity.