Melikasheni Church

Melikasheni Church is located on ruined settlement (coordinates: 41.132371 44.42282). It represents three-nave basilica. It is badly destroyed and covered with vegetation. West, south and north walls of the church and large, right-angled pastophorium of north-east, entrance to which is cut near the altar, in the north wall, have survived. In symmetry to it, the same-sized door is cut in the south wall, making us suppose that there was similar pastophorium in the south as well. Long structure with apse adjoins the north pastophorium in the west, which, presumably, adjoined the entrance. There is no entrance to this area directly from the church. The only wide door of the central hall of the church is cut in the west wall. There is massive tuff architrave above it.

The west wall masonry bears the traces of later repairs. The window of this wall is also substantially narrowed. The north pastophorium has wide, parallel-sided window. The central window, which lights central part of the central hall, has the similar shape. The hall of the church is divided into two equal parts by one pair of protruded pilasters. Symmetric layout of Melikasheni church finds parallels in churches of VI-VII c.c. like Nekresi and Amadasturi. Certain resemblance with church layouts of VI-VIII in Armenia is also observed. Melikasheni church, according to its building techniques and artistic forms should refer to VI-VII c.c.