Ikalto academy

Ikalto in June 2008

Ikalto academy (Georgian: იყალთოს აკადემია) in XI-XIII centuries was a high school and the academy in Ikalto, Georgia. Ikalto monastery was known as one of the most significant cultural-scholastic centers of Georgia, which is asserted by the ruins of some civil building preserved at the site of the monastery.

History

According to sources, the first academy in this area was founded in 9 AD, but during the Arab invasions it was entirely devastated. During the Georgian Renaissance, the teacher of David the Builder, scholar and philosopher Arsen of Ikalto initiated the idea of recreating a high school and the academy at Ikalto. The first rector of the academy was Arsen who seems to move here from the Gelati Academy.

Ruins of the academy

Many important works were written and translated from Greek. Important catalogues were made up like Dogmatikon (the most consummated lists -1463, XII-XIII cc.) and many other works. During his activity at the academy, Arsen of Ikalto translated important works such as "The Great Nomocanon". Another important work translated by him was "The Source of Knowledge" written by John Damascene. He wrote "The Epitaph of David the Builder". The academy of Ikalto had functioned for a long time, playing an important role in the history of Georgian enlightenment. Teaching basically followed the Trivium-Quadrivium method.

Architecture

The Ikalto Academy is much like the Gelati Academy except it has two floors.