Bachkovo, the Ossuary.

A Comnenian Revelation in the Valley of the Dried Bones.

Theotokos, Bachkovo Ossuary. Naos, Western wall.

Theotokos, Deesis. Apse

Church Father, Apse.

Are you stunned? Are you breath taken? I was, entering this little casket encased in the Rodopes unique landscape. Beauty encircles you.

The Ossuary in Bachkovo monastery was founded at the end of 11th century CE by a charming and straight personage: Great Domestic for all the West Gregorius Pakourianos, General of the Roman Empire, Georgian (that could have meant orthodox Armenian at the time) by birth. A major elector of Alexios I Komnenos during his 1081 coup against Emperor Nikephoros III Botaneiates, his advice to young Alexios, evaluating the waters before to go, was remarkable: “If you want to rebel, rebel quickly and I will sustain you. You delay and I will report you to the Emperor.”

Grigol Bakurianisdze - his true Georgian name - stood a loyal friend to Alexios till death met him on the battlefield of Beliatoba, against Pechenegs, in 1086. He was buried with his brother in the Ossuary - this one - he had built in the grounds of the monastery of the Theotokos Petritzonitissa he established in 1083. Grigol’s surname gave origin to the monastery title of Bachkovo. The monastery was an Iberian (Georgian) culture shrine: every monk should study and be accomplished in Iberian language. No relative of Grigol could be admitted as a monk: Bakurianis didn’t suffer nepotism.

Deesis. You can see the terrible problem with humidity. Our gentle host told us about a tunnel built around the apse to stop the humidity, coming from the slope in contact with the southern wall… yet it didn’t work. Made the Deesis more touching.

Second Coming: Theotokos, St. Peter and Apostles, Northern wall.

Second Coming: St. Johannes Prodromos, St. Paul, Southern wall

Second Coming: Pantocrator inside a mandorla, vault.

Second Coming. Paradise, Orans Theotokos and the Grateful Thief. Narthex, eastern wall

Second Coming. Paradise, Abraham’s Bosom. Narthex, eastern wall.

Second coming: Apostles. Narthex, eastern wall.

Ezekiel’s Vision of the Valley of the Dry Bones. Crypt, western wall.

Grigol chose a rare biblical episode to be depicted on the western wall of the Crypt of the Ossuary: The Vision of prophet Ezekiel in the Valley of Dry Bones [1]. Ezekiel is brought by God to a Valley where human bones lay dried in quantity. He is asked by God about the possibility bones could come back to life. Ezekiel correctly answers: God only knows. Ezekiel prophesies to them: the Spirit of God will breathe over them from the four winds directions and them will revive. Bones vest again with flesh, nerves and skin and they come back to life. They resemble a great army. They are Israel people, now scattered through the nations but God is going to unite them. This is the end of Ezekiel’s Vision in the Valley of Dry Bones.

Prophet Ezekiel.

Standing in the crypt Bachkovo Ossuary, admiring such heritage of beauty Grigol bestowed to the world, I wondered. Could have Grigol compared, in his mind, Ezekiel’s great army to the great army of soldiers defending the Empire of the Romans? He experienced the difficult years of Ani loss and Manzikert defeat - the battle that opened Anatolia to Seljuks. He fought endless wars against the Normans, and the Pecenegs. He saw so many of his soldiers dead, Iberians and not only. Could Grigol felt that Iberian people too were scattered through the nations, defending the Empire, as mercenary? In their younger years Grigol and his brother Abas were orphans, poor in means, compelled to enter the army to survive and to pay the dowry of their sisters.

I realized how much this terrific iconographic theme, so unusual to find depicted, could be dear to Grigol’s heart. A clue to his great desire to give an asilum to the culture of Iberian people.

Light Bibliography for Essential Argonauts

[1] Ezekiel 37