Bolnisi cross
Symbol of Georgia taken from the Bolnisi Sioni church
The Bolnisi cross (Georgian: ბოლნური ჯვარი bolnuri ǰvari) is a cross symbol, taken from a 5th-century ornament at the Bolnisi Sioni church, which came to be used as a national symbol of Georgia.
It is a variant of the cross pattée popular in Christian symbolism of late antiquity and the early medieval period. The same symbol gave rise to cross variants used during the Crusades, the Maltese cross of the Knights Hospitaller and (via the Jerusalem cross and the Black cross of the Teutonic Order) the Iron cross used by the German military.
The four small crosses used in the Georgian flag are officially described as bolnur-kacʼxuri (bolnur-katskhuri, ბოლნურ-კაცხური) even though they are only slightly pattée.
See also
Grapevine cross
Christian cross variants
Bibliography
Michael Tarchnišvili: Geschichte der kirchlichen georgischen Literatur (= Studi e Testi. 185, ZDB-ID 762276-4). Auf Grund des 1. Bandes der georgischen Literaturgeschichte von K. Kekelidze bearbeitet. Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Città del Vaticano 1955.
Elene Mačavariani: Bolnisis sionis samšeneblo carcera.
“Bolnisi cross” enters the record as symbol of Georgia taken from the Bolnisi Sioni church. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Bolnisi, cross and Symbol can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Bolnisi cross” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Bolnisi, cross and Symbol provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q891515. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1955.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Bolnisi cross”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Bolnisi cross primary sources, Bolnisi cross archive and Bolnisi research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Bolnisi cross”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Bolnisi cross” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.