Ateni Sioni Church is a Georgian Orthodox church dating from the early VII century, located in the village of Ateni, approximately 10 km south of the city of Gori.
Ateni Sioni is regarded as one of the earliest and most accomplished examples of classical Georgian cross-domed architecture, exerting a significant influence on the subsequent development of ecclesiastical architecture.
The church was built during the formative period of Christian architecture in Kartli following the Arab invasions, approximately in the 680s–690s.
A distinctive feature of Ateni Sioni is the large number of inscriptions carved and written on the church’s walls.
Among them are the earliest known inscriptions in Nuskhuri (Nuskha-Khutsuri), one of the early forms of the Georgian script, dating to 835.
The church also preserves the earliest known examples of Mkhedruli, the modern Georgian alphabet, dating to the 980s.
In addition to Georgian inscriptions, texts written in Asomtavruli, as well as in Greek and Armenian have survived, highlighting the multilingual and multiethnic cultural context of the period.
Of particular interest is an Armenian inscription by the master builder, preserved on one of the church’s walls, which explicitly attests to the authorship of the construction:
“I, Todosak, am the builder of this holy church.”
This inscription was first discovered and deciphered by Kh. Kuchuk-Ioannissov (1852 – c. 1919).
Other epigraphic evidence indicates that several stonecutters of Armenian origin also worked at Ateni under Todosak’s supervision.
The wall frescoes, created over different periods, are of exceptional artistic value.
The principal pictorial cycle dates to the XI century and includes representations of Christ Pantocrator, scenes from the Gospels, apostles and saints.
Later layers of painting were added between the XII and XVII centuries.
Despite the region’s political instability, the church has retained its religious and cultural significance for over 1300 years, and Ateni Sioni remains an active place of worship to this day.