The Cathedral
Bana Cathedral (Georgian: ბანა), is the main church of the Bana Monastery, located in the village of Penek, formerly known as Panaki (ფანაკი) or Banaki (ბანაკი), in the historical Tao region, which is now part of the Şenkaya district of Erzurum province.
The name Bana comes from the Georgian word “banaki” (ბანაკი), meaning “military camp” or “camp”. As in some other Georgian words, the “ki” at the end of the word ‘banaki’ has been dropped, and the word has become “bana”.
Bana Monastery is a monastery dedicated to the True Cross. The complex consisted of a main church, a small church, a church for monks, cells carved into the rock, and other structures. The main church, Bana Cathedral, was first mentioned in a work written in the 11th century. Sumbat Davitisdze, historian of the Bagrationi dynasty, wrote in his work that Bana Cathedral was built by King Adarnase IV of Georgia, who ruled between 881 and 923. Based on this record, it is understood that the cathedral was built in the late 9th or early 10th century. Kvirike, who oversaw the construction of the cathedral, was also appointed as the first bishop of this monastery. One of the well-known bishops of Bana Monastery was Ioane. Ioane betrayed the Georgian king IV. Bagrat together with the Aznavurs of Tao and then sought refuge in Byzantium.
