historic,  travel

Mtskheta: Vibrant Center of Orthodoxy in Georgia

June 26, 2024 /

Mtskheta stands at the confluence of two rivers, Mtkvari and Aragvi about 20 miles outside of Tbilisi. It is a UNESCO protected site and “was a site of early Christian activity resulting in the Christianisation of Iberia, where Christianity was proclaimed the state religion in 337. It remains the headquarters of the Georgian Orthodox Church.”  (Wikipidia).

The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (meaning the Cathedral of the Living Pillar) is an Orthodox Christian cathedral. It is a treasure of the Early and High Middle Ages, and is the second largest church building in Georgia. Below are two of the tombs you can find in the church. The one on the right is of Erekle II. Ten Georgian kings have been buried here, but only 6 tombs have been found.

“Known as the burial site of the claimed Christ‘s mantle, Svetitskhoveli has long been one of the principal Georgian Orthodox churches and is among the most venerated places of worship in the region.[2] Throughout the centuries, the cathedral served as the burial place for kings. The present cross-in-square structure was completed between 1010 and 1029 by the medieval Georgian architect Arsukisdze, although the site itself dates back to the early fourth century. The exterior archature of the cathedral is a well-preserved example of typical decorations of the 11th century.” (Wikipidia)

We had visited on our last visit, but our youngest two boys did not remember. It is a very large cathedral so even though there were many visitors, it did not feel too crowded.

The cathedral is still surrounded and protected by ramparts. Knowing that we were visiting this church and another monastery church, I came prepared by wearing a skirt and had a scarf in my purse.

We parked in a large paying parking lot (about a dollar) which had us go through some market booths before arriving outside the ramparts of the cathedral. We had not come this way last time. We did buy some souvenirs and I found that these were the best prices of all the places we bought things.

The grounds were well kept and beautiful.

I believe this is the main monastery building.

I think I was affected by jetlag more than I thought because I was fairly cranky that first week of our trip. I was not very patient!

A bientôt!

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