---
title: Fragment of a Stele of the Virgin Mary from Georgia
author: James Blake Wiener
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/7363/fragment-of-a-stele-of-the-virgin-mary-from-georgi/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 1970-01-01
---

# Fragment of a Stele of the Virgin Mary from Georgia

_Authored by [James Blake Wiener](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/jbw288/)_

## Image File

[![Fragment of a Stele of the Virgin Mary from Georgia](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/7363.jpg)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/7363.jpg)

## Image Caption

This fragment was rediscovered in Davati village, located in eastern Georgia, in 1980. It was originally made in the 6th century CE from limestone. The standing figure of the [Virgin Mary](https://www.worldhistory.org/Mary,_Mother_of_Jesus/) represents a unique iconographic type of the Virgin, coming from the oldest "Hodigitria-type." Next to the figures of the Virgin and baby [Jesus](https://www.worldhistory.org/Jesus_Christ/) are "condensed" inscriptions; "St. Mary" and "[Jesus Christ](https://www.worldhistory.org/Jesus_Christ/)." Steles or stone crosses ("kvajvari" in Georgian) are cult monuments carved from stone that were typical for the early Christian period in Georgia (c. 300-750 CE). Many of these steles have survived because they were reused as construction material for churches erected in the Middle Ages and Early Modern era. (Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi)

#### Editorial Review

This human-authored image has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).

## About the Author

James Blake Wiener has a particular interest in cross-cultural exchange and world history. He is a co-founder of World History Encyclopedia and formerly was its Communications Director.
- [Linkedin Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameswiener)

## Cite This Work

### APA
Wiener, J. B. (2017, October 03). Fragment of a Stele of the Virgin Mary from Georgia. *World History Encyclopedia*. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/7363/fragment-of-a-stele-of-the-virgin-mary-from-georgi/>
### Chicago
Wiener, James Blake. "Fragment of a Stele of the Virgin Mary from Georgia." *World History Encyclopedia*, October 03, 2017. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/7363/fragment-of-a-stele-of-the-virgin-mary-from-georgi/>.
### MLA
Wiener, James Blake. "Fragment of a Stele of the Virgin Mary from Georgia." *World History Encyclopedia*, 03 Oct 2017, <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/7363/fragment-of-a-stele-of-the-virgin-mary-from-georgi/>.

## License & Copyright

Submitted by [James Blake Wiener](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/jbw288/ "User Page: James Blake Wiener"), published on 03 October 2017. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.