“THE LIFE OF ST. ILARION KARTVELI“ AND THE SPECIFICITY OF HAGIOGRAPHICAL GENRE

Abstract

The importance of „The Life of St. Ilarion Kartveli“in the history of the Georgian literature is defined by several factors: 1.St. Ilarioni is the first monk out of well-known Georgian monks in the history of Christian church after Petre Iberi, who moved abroad, namely to West Christian countries and laid the foundation of monastic life. He has gained great authority among religious and secular societies with his theological and practical activities. After his death the Byzantine Empire respected him greatly. In the IXc.St.Ilarion Kartveli was the first who took a path to the West that became intensive in the Xc. The process ended by establishing Georgian monasteries in Athoni and Black mountains. 2.It is the first work which contains the information about considering Georgia the land of Holly Virgin. The article deals with the works „The Life of St.Ilarion Kartveli“ and „The Life of St.Grigol Khantsteli“ that have common signs as compositionally as descriptionaly, both works belong to the same literary –religious traditions. Both of them belong to the „life“ genre works and are analyzed on the base of hagiographical specificity. The object of the research is to show the character of St. Ilarion, a saint who lives like an angel separately from the human concern.The author does it with the exceptional skill of accessing spiritual world of a human being.
The essence of living in the way the angel lives in hagiographical works is defined and perceived as an inclination to the hermit way of life. „The Life of St. Ilarion Kartveli“ is a work where the author follows the literary-aesthetic traditional principles and expresses his opinions by means of biblical illusions, expressive and artistic ways.