"Where is the living pillar?" one of our group breaks the silence, curious about this blend of pagan imagery with Christian interpretation – a common feature of many Georgian churches. I explain that pieces supposedly exist in the cathedral's foundation, some visible through clear glass tiles in the floor, but mainly as a legend – as the magical cedar wood holding up the first Christian church here.

Looking round this ancient, but also modern monument, I begin to understand the church is nearly as "living" today as at its creation. The religious center of this culture, unlike ours, is still secure. The pillar, although invisible to the foreign eye, stands up boldly in the minds of its congregation.

[END]