Opiza
church building in Artvin Province, Turkey
Opiza (Georgian: ოპიზა) was a medieval Georgian monastery and cathedral church located in historical Klarjeti region, now in Artvin Province, Turkey. It is one of the oldest Georgian churches in the Tao-Klarjeti region. Opiza was reconstructed after an Arab invasion in the 8th century. It is referred to by many Georgian historical persons, such as Gregory of Khandzta, Beqa and Beshqen Opizrebi.
Architecture
The main church of the monastery is a domed cruciform design with an unusually elongated plan along the east-west axis. The dome rests on squinches built into the walls. To the east is a rectangular apse and sacristy. The western arm forms an undivided, elongated nave. The interior walls and dome are faced with dressed stone masonry. While the dome rests primarily on pendentives, small trompes are also incorporated, creating a hybrid transitional style of support.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Opiza” as church building in Artvin Province, Turkey. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as church building in Artvin Province, Turkey. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1642544. Authority coordinates are 41.224, 42.035. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. 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 “Opiza”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Opiza primary sources, Opiza archive and Opiza 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 “Opiza”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Opiza” 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.