The church is simple in construction; the pillars, seventy-
three feet high, consist of blocks of stone joined together. In the
Treasury were, formerly, two of the nails with which Christ was
crucified, the lance with which he was stabbed in the side, and,
lastly, a seamless garment of Christ. It is asserted that in the
centre of the church is the spot where Noah, after his delivery,
erected an altar and offered sacrifice. Besides these, the church
is in the possession of innumerable important relics.
{308} This is carried to such an extent that if a traveller has his
horses already put to, and is in the carriage, and an officer
arrives, the horses are taken off and given to the latter.
{309} Georgia was called Iberia by the ancients. Formerly, this
country extended from Tauris and Erzerum, as far as the Tanais, and
was called Albania. It is a country of mountains. The river Kurry,
also called Cyrus, flows through the midst. On this river the
famous conqueror of Persia, Cyrus, was exposed in his childhood.
Tiflis was formerly one of the finest towns of Persia.
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