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John Dean

Featuring more than 5,000 years of Georgian art, Land of Myth and Fire included ancient silver and gold sculptures, illuminated manuscripts, embroidered textiles and religious icons. Many of these objects originally came from the country’s ancient monasteries, such as the 12th-century Gelati Monastery in central Georgia and the Vani Monastery (shown here, compare with photo of tenth-century crucifix) in western Georgia. The Georgian Orthodox Church dates back to the early fourth century A.D., when Georgia adopted Christianity as its official religion.