My research interest during the excursion to Pshavi was to explore which figures of Saints are considered most important in the region, starting from the example of Magharoskari village. I also wanted to find out why exactly these saints are worshipped, what their specific strength might be and what they are prayed for.
For this reason, I took interviews with five local families. The results show that people generally list the following main figures: 1. St. George 2. Virgin Mary, and 3. King Tamar. They represent the “invisible forces”, which are capable of everything on Earth, as killing, raising from the dead or healing patients.
At the question: “why exactly these saints?” my respondents looked quite surprised - anyway, their answers mostly referred to the fact that these Saints have a specific force: the power of doing anything they like on the Earth.
This excursion to Magharoskari and Chargali was useful for my general interest in religious practices and was a chance to touch upon the recent situation of religious beliefs in the mountainous communities of Eastern Georgia.