In the heart of the Caucasus, on the shores of the Black Sea, stretches Georgia as a hidden gem that does not receive the attention it deserves. Although the country is not usually among our first options for a trip, it has countless attractions that will surprise all visitors.
Thus, we will find from historic villages until religious temples centuries old, passing through spectacular natural landscapes. Among the wonders of this former Soviet republic is the group of monasteries of Davit Garejaan incredible example of the art and architecture of early Christianity in a wild, desert landscape.
Davit Gareja, in Georgia
The Kakheti region It is located east of Georgia and is one of the nine administrative regions into which the country is organized. And it is here, in the municipality of Sagarejo, right on the border with Azerbaijanwhere Davit Gareja is located, one of the essential visits for history lovers.
The religious complex was founded at the beginning of the 6th century by an Assyrian monk named David Garejeli and soon became an important center of spirituality and learning. “Since the Middle Ages and for centuries, It was one of the most important centers of Georgian Christian culture“, they explain from Georgia Tourism.
Fifteen monasteries carved into the rock
The complex is made up of nothing more and nothing less than fifteen monasteries sculpted in the rock itselfspecifically on the slopes of Mount Gareja. The oldest of them is the so-called Lavra of Davidone of the most accessible and visited by tourists. In it we will find the caves of David and his disciple Lukiane, the church from the 6th century by PeristsvalebaDavid’s tomb, cells, chapels and a small room where the monk lived.
They also highlight the treasures hidden in the Udabno Monastery on the neighboring hill: frescoes representing from the Last Supper, to Jesus with his disciples, passing through David and Lukiane surrounded by deer. On the other hand, it is worth mentioning the Natlismtsemeli Monasterywith paintings by King David Aghmashenebeli, and the MBerthubani Monasterywith frescoes of Queen Tamar and her son Lasha-Giorgi. The monasteries functioned as centers for writing and copying theological books and, despite its age, the main monastery, that of the Lavra, is still active.
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