Ketevan of Mukhrani - Relics and Archaeological Findings

Relics and Archaeological Findings

The importance of Queen Ketevan for the Georgian people has led to a relic "hunt" during the last decades. Notably in Goa, and since 1989, various delegations coming from Georgia have worked together with the Archaeological Survey of India to try to locate Ketevan's grave within the ruins of the Augustinian convent of Our Lady of Grace, at Old Goa, Goa. All these efforts were thwarted, because the teams were unable to interpret correctly the Portuguese documents that provided for clues as to Ketevan's burial place.

These historical sources stated that Ketevan's palm and arm bone fragments were kept inside a stone urn beneath a specific window within the Chapter Chapel of the Augustinian convent.

In May 2004, the Chapter Chapel and window mentioned in the sources were found during a collaboration work between Portuguese and Overseas Citizen of India architect Sidh Losa Mendiratta and the Archaeological Survey of India, Goa-circle (at the time when Nizammudin Taher was superintendent archaeologist). Although the stone urn itself was missing, its coping stone and a number of bone fragments were found close to the window mentioned in the Portuguese sources.

Indian scientists have conducted a DNA analysis on the bone fragments found during this excavation, but the mystery of Ketevan's relics continues, since a matching analysis would be necessary from supposed relics existing in Georgia.