Section 06: The Grapevine Cross

The cross of St. Nino and its career as the emblem of Georgian Christianity. The first file tells the cross’s origin in the developed Georgian tradition — vine wood given by the Theotokos and bound with Nino’s own hair — describes its distinctive drooping-armed form, traces its history of concealment, removal to Russia, and return, and identifies its present home at Sioni Cathedral in Tbilisi, pinning each claim to its source. The second file follows the cross’s documented career as a symbol: its biblical resonance in the vine, its place in Georgia’s wine culture and visual tradition, and its fusion of faith with nationhood.

Tradition: Georgian Orthodox / Pan-Orthodox

Contents

File Topic
The Cross of St. Nino The cross of vine-wood bound with her hair, given (in the tradition) by the Theotokos; the drooping-armed Georgian cross; its later history of concealment, removal, and return; its present location at Sioni Cathedral, Tbilisi
Symbol of Georgian Christianity The grapevine cross as national and ecclesial emblem; the vine as Gospel and land; the cross in the visual tradition (Eastmond); the fusion of faith with nationhood; the distinction between the symbol’s documented history and its origin-legend

How to Use

  • Read The Cross of St. Nino for the relic itself — its origin-legend, its form, its history, and its keeping at Sioni.
  • Read Symbol of Georgian Christianity for the cross as a symbol — how a vine-and-hair cross became the emblem of a church and a nation.
  • The fuller treatment of faith and national identity is in Nino and the Georgian Nation.

Cross-References