Tales from Georgia-Heritage Trails

There are four UNESCO heritage sites in Georgia and  we  had the chance to visit  the  Holy Cross Monastery of Jvari and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral included in the hisorical monuments of Mtskheta.Mtskheta was the old capital of Georgia and it was from this  place that Christanity was  adopted as the state religion of Georgia.

Jvari Monastery was the first stop.It is about 20 km from Tbilisi and is on top of Mount Armazi.

According to legend Saint Nino   who brought  christanity to Georgia   erected a  wooden cross at this site and a church was built  over the remnants in c .545.The entrance to the monastery

 

From the top we can see the confluence of  Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers.

I had  a feeling of deja vu.This is the  confluence of indus and zanskar rivers at Nimmu in Leh I had seen two years back.

 

It was a cold windy day and we  could not stay long outside.Inside the church there were few worshippers..We also lit candles  and   stood in reverence .

Though the church looks well preserved it is facing damage from the  rains and strong winds and is  on the 100  Most Endangered Sites List of the World Monument Fund.

This monastery does not have impressive frescoes or statues like  most of the churches we saw in Tbilisi but it has its own simple charm.

Soon it was time to leave St.Nino  and go to the  first orthodox church  in Georgia.