Bedia Chalice

The Bedia Chalice is a medieval Georgian liturgical vessel made of ducat gold and richly decorated. Commissioned in 999 by King Bagrat III for the Bedia Monastery in Abkhazia, it was a donation from Bagrat III and his mother, Queen Gurandukht, to the newly completed church at Bedia. Only the bowl of the chalice survives; the base was lost and later restored in the 16th century by Metropolitan Bishop Germane Chkhetidze. The vessel was preserved in various locations over time, including the Ilori Church's sacristy, before being moved to Tbilisi in 1930, where it is now housed at the Georgian National Museum.

The bowl is 14 cm high and 14 cm in diameter, weighing 752 grams. Crafted from a single sheet of gold with repoussé details, it features an outer surface framed by a continuous arcade divided into 12 segments. The central figures are Christ Pantokrator and the Virgin Hodegetria, with ten apostles depicted between them, each holding a rotulus. Inscriptions in Greek and Georgian identify Christ, the apostles, and the donors, Bagrat III and Queen Gurandukht.

The chalice is notable for its orderly composition and decorative details, reflecting endogenous Georgian style while showing affinities with contemporary Byzantine art. Its robust monumental effect makes it a unique piece of medieval Georgian goldsmithery.