Poti Cathedral, Eastern Orthodox cathedral in Poti, Georgia
Poti Cathedral is a Georgian Orthodox church in downtown Poti, built in 1906–07 as a reduced-scale imitation of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Architects Alexander Zelenko and Robert Marfeld designed the Neo-Byzantine structure, which seats 2,000 and has three iconostases. Its ornaments follow medieval Christian cathedrals of the Trabzon mountains, and the entire building, domes included, was made of reinforced concrete using the Hennebique system.
The cathedral was built in the early 1900s during a period of religious resurgence in Georgia and was consecrated in 1907. Its construction was tied to the growing importance of Orthodox Christianity in Georgia's social revival.
The three iconostases hold icons painted by Dumitrashko, an artist of the Russian Imperial Academy, completed in 1908. The north side follows a Greek-Byzantine style, the south a Georgian-Byzantine style, and the central one a Russian-Byzantine style; among them are two icons of St. Nino and King David the Builder.
The building is located near the Black Sea port and is easy to reach on foot, while regular prayer services are open to visitors. It is recommended to enter the interior respectfully during prayer times and wear appropriate clothing.
Because Poti's soil was too poor for traditional masonry, engineers turned to the Hennebique system, designed by that firm's Paris office, for the foundations and the whole structure, domes included. This makes the cathedral one of the earliest churches built with reinforced concrete.
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