Harem Christianity: The Byzantine Identity of Seljuk Princes

Shukurov, Rustam

doi:10.5040/9780755693368.ch-005

Cited by 4 publications

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“…Khaqani's reference to his Christian origin may also indicate that Tamar was allowed to remain Christian. Her case would not be exceptional, as some royal women not only retained their Christian faith after interreligious marriages, but also freely practiced their religion at Ayyubid and Seljuk courts, both much more powerful than that of Shirvan 14 .…”

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Female Monastic Patronage in Medieval Georgia: Queen Tamar and Her Monastery in Tighva

Natsvlishvili

2023

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Tighva Monastery was founded by Queen Consort Tamar, the daughter of David the Builder, a famous Georgian king who succeeded in uniting the country and making it a dominant regional power. According to the written sources, Tamar was married to Shah Manuchehr III, the Muslim ruler of Shirvan (modern Azerbaijan) around 1111, in order to “rule over Shirvan”. Tamar lived and reigned in the Muslim court for more than twenty years. Resulting from a need to secure a retirement home and final resting place, she initiated the construction of Tighva Monastery soon after her return to Georgia in the 1140s. As her husband Manuchehr died in 1160, it seems that Tamar left Shirvan still a married woman, for unknown reasons. Tamar cut ties with her family and spent the remainder of her life as a nun in Tighva. The Church of the Crucifixion in Tighva Monastery, which represents the main focus of this paper, gives a good example of how the place occupied by women during the Divine Liturgy not only indicated their social status, but also determined their visibility, demonstrating how architecture could be used to establish the limits of physical appearance of royal women in the twelfth century Georgian monastic space.

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confidence: 99%