Abstract: Georgians were the first non-Greeks to settle on Mount Athos in the 960s, the same period when Athanasios the Athonite built the monastery of the Great Lavra. Shortly afterward, in 983, they established their own monastery named Iveron/ Iviron. From the very beginning of its operation, it was the founders’ strict desire to dedicate it to scholarly activities. It was set within a network of translation and literary centers throughout Byzantine Empire. As a consequence, Iviron acted as a source of influence for Georgian monks and intellectuals from Sinai to Georgia. While its connection with Georgian monasteries on the Black Mountain in Antioch and in Jerusalem has been well studied, scholarship has largely neglected the study of the cultural connections between the monastery of Iviron and Constantinople. 
There is evidence that some Georgian manuscripts were moved from the monastery of Triantafyllou in Constantinople to Iviron. They were rewritten by Theophilos the Hieromonk, one of the most important Georgian scholars of the 11th century. In the article some colophons written by him at that Constantinopolitan monastery are analyzed. These colophons are the main source for understanding the literary relationships between these two monastic communities within the Byzantine Empire. 
A separate sub-chapter deals with the references to Constantinople from two Georgian hagiographic texts written in Iviron. It is clear that Basileuousa’s relevant term in Georgian was introduced and established by those texts.

Author: Tchkoidze, Eka

DOI: 10.17846/CL.2025.18.2.45-56

Publication order reference: Associate Prof. Eka Tchkoidze (MA& PhD); Ilia State University, School of Arts and Sciences, 3/5 Cholokashvili Ave, 0162 Tbilisi, Georgia; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; ORCID ID: 0000-0003-3754-1647

Source: Konštantínove listy, 2025, vol.: 18, issue: 2, pages: 45-56 (PDF file)

Keywords: IVIRON MONASTERY; HAGIOGRAPHY; CONSTANTINOPLE; EFTHYMIOS, GEORGE, THEOPHILOS (GEORGIAN TRANSLATORS)

Language: ENGLISH

Recommended Citation:

Tchkoidze, Eka. 2025. Athos and Constantinople: References and Networking (Georgian Evidence in the 11th Century). In Konštantínove listy [Constantine’s Letters] 18/2, 45-56.