Georgian Cross-Dome Architecture

The architecture of Georgia, the Caucasus nation, is marked by monumentality, clear composition, strict proportions, moderate use of decoration, and a harmonic interaction with the surrounding natural landscape, expressed across castles, defensive towers, fortifications, palaces and churches. Its most distinctive contribution is the Georgian cross-dome style, which emerged in the ninth century and combines a conical dome raised high on a drum over a rectangular or cross-shaped lower structure. Georgian architectural influence spread beyond the country's own borders, appearing in Bulgaria's Bachkovo Monastery, Greece's Iviron monastery on Mount Athos, and the Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem.