Konrad and Alexandra (pdf) - Rolf Gross

of wine before breakfast he offered Konrad the personal Du in German, so that nobody noticed
that Alexandra addressed Konrad again by his first name.
Konrad felt so much at home among these people that he forgot his astonishment about
the course of events. He had never had a real family life—his father had died early, and his
mother had turned into a care-worn, penniless widow. The easy acceptance of him into their
family circle pleased him.
Alexandra’s mother appeared only when all had sat down to breakfast. Dadiani
introduced Konrad. Princess Tamara Chavchavadze did not participate in the lively banter
around the breakfast table. Although she seemed fluent in German, she barely addressed her
guest. Konrad, puzzled, could only explain her behavior as deferential reticence in presence of
her husband.
Dadiani tried to persuade her to tell the tale of her abduction from Tsinandali. But true to
conservative form she declined.
Her husband could not refrain from telling the tale himself.
When Tamara Chavchavadze had been three years old, her mother, an aunt, and six
children had been abducted from Tsinandali by the Lesgian men of the infamous Imam
Shamyl, the legendary leader of the Chechen Moslem guerrillas. Shamyl had kept the women
hidden in his mountain retreat for over a year, until their families ransomed them in exchange
for two carts of gold coins and Shamyl’s son, whom the Russians had taken prisoner.
Alexandra appeared bored and restless. When her father finished the well-worn family
saga, she pleaded for an excursion to Zedazeni. She was the enfant terrible of the family, but
also her father’s adored daughter. Alexandra’s younger brothers Niko and Otar supported their
sister’s request and Dadiani finally let himself be persuaded. Their mother, citing domestic
duties, asked to be excused. Two servants carried baskets with a copious lunch and two
bottles of wine, and the entire party walked up the steep path behind the house.
Except for the church, the monastery of Zedazeni turned out to be a deserted, romantic
ruin. A dilapidated wall surrounded the precinct, the church, a few decaying buildings, and an
orchard.
The caretaker received them with a bow and a handshake. Dadiani introduced his guest
as a professor from Germany. While the servants spread a large tablecloth under the trees and
set up lunch, the caretaker unlocked the church for Alexandra.
Light-footed Alexandra took Konrad into the sanctuary. "This place predates
Christianity," she explained as they entered. "You can still see the heathen altar behind the
iconostasis."
Alexandra led Konrad into the sanctum where she showed him a stone column
decorated like an Indian phallic lingam. It grew from a circular foundation, which in India
represented the female yoni. The three foot high column was covered with a white cloth and
garlanded with flowers.
"The village women come here to decorate this thing. This heathen altar is the reason
that the church has been abandoned. The old spirits scared the monks away." Alexandra
laughed, her blue eyes sparkling in complicity. "The priests and the good citizen of Tiflis deny
the existence of this female place of worship, but at Easter the shepherds come here to
celebrate the resurrection in an ancient rite. The heathen customs are alive everywhere and
especially in the mountains. You will see."
"We Georgians love picnics!" Dadiani called when they emerged from the church.
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