Georgian Traditional Church Music Awarded the Status of Monument of Intangible Cultural Heritage

On May 31, Georgian traditional church music, same as chants were awarded the status of a monument of intangible cultural heritage.

The initiator and submitter of granting the status to the monument is the Georgian State Folklore Center.

Georgian chants, along with polyphonic musical folklore, are recognized by Georgians as one of the most important symbols of national identity; It is a unique tradition in which the aesthetic principles of national polyphonic thinking and the Christian worldview are organically combined. Georgian chanting, on the one hand, is a national tradition originated and developed in Georgia, and, on the other hand, it especially shows the unity of Georgian culture with the European Christian world. According to scholars, polyphony in church music was first established in Georgia, reached the classical stage of development in the X-XI centuries, and in the XII-XIII centuries, along with the entire Georgian culture, was imbued with the Renaissance worldview. Consequently, Georgian hymns are not only national, but also the cultural treasure of the whole Christian world.

Granting the status of an intangible cultural heritage monument to Georgian traditional church music / Georgian chants will help preserve the cultural phenomenon and values ​​associated with Georgian chants, promote the teaching and transmission of Georgian chants, position the need for live performances, raising awareness of intangible cultural heritage.