When in Tbilisi, look out of almost any window and you’ll be sure to see a church! There are thousands of them dotted throughout the country; some dating back to 500AD, others being built today by the growing number of Orthodox followers.
Here are the Where.ge team’s Top 4 choices for must-see churches. Be aware that there are many more…each unique and magical!
SAMEBA TRINITY CATHEDRAL, TBILISI
Sameba (Trinity) Cathedral is a recent addition to the vast collection of churches belonging to the Georgian Orthodox Church. Constructed between 1995 and 2004, it is the third tallest Eastern Orthodox cathedral in the world and one of the largest religious buildings in the world by total area. The height of the cathedral from the ground to the top of the cross is 105.5 meters.
GERGETI TRINITY CHURCH, KAZBEGI
Surrounded by the mountains of the Caucasus, the Gergeti Trinity Chruch is one of the most famous travel destinations in Georgia. The church was built in the 14th century and is the only cross-cupola church in Khevi province. Even during the soviet era, when all religious services were prohibited, the church remained a popular tourist destination. Only in the 1990s was the church was returned to the Georgian Orthodox Church.
Nowadays, it is not only a church that is located above Stepantsminda, but also a monastery. In spite of the very cold temperatures, monks live in a building right next to the church.
JVARI CHURCH, MTSKHETA
Jvari (meaning 'cross') is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and can be clearly seen high on the hill overlooking the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Iberia, Mtskheta.
The structure you see now is much in excess of the original chapel built in the early 500s AD, and was constructed in the late 500s AD to house the vast number of visitors. It all started, as the name suggests, with a cross. King Mirian III of Iveria, the first local king to convert to Christianity (by the hand of the venerated St Nino), commissioned a large wooden cross to be placed on the hill to replace a pagan temple. The cross was said to perform miracles and drew numerous pilgrims to the site. A small chapel was build beside it (Small Jvari), and then the cathedral you see today was built to house the cross. Today, only the pedestal remains.
TIMOTESUBANI
The Timotesubani Monastery complex and the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin is located 17 kilometers from Borjomi.
The pink stone and red-brick cathedral sits on a hill surrounded by a well-cared for garden with scented roses, while the private monastery is located the other side of a narrow stream. Constructed between the 12th and 13th centuries, during the "Golden Age" of medieval Georgia under Queen Tamar (r. 1184-1213),