SVAN PRIESTS. 83 



queen, and she first sent priests into the land, 

 built churches and a number of small fortresses 

 at such places as Glola in Radcha and Ushkul 

 in Svanetia, where their rains still remam. 

 But when Tamara died Svanetia severed itself 

 from Georgia ; the priests died out or were 

 killed, and as no more came from the outer 

 world Svanetia went for a while priestless. 



But in time another race of priests arose 

 from amongst the Svans themselves, appa- 

 rently self-elected, or at anj^ rate chosen only 

 for their external fitness for the office. The 

 Svans had observed that in most cases the 

 salient points in the person of a priest of the 

 Greek Church of Russia were a fine voice, a 

 fine beard, and lono' hair, worn as in most of 

 the old paintings of our Lord. Hence it 

 happened that any fellow who had a longer 

 Ijcard or a louder voice than his neisrhbour 



o 



was chosen priest, and conducted the services 



of the church as well as his memory of old 



G 2 



