The Grace of Ancient Monasteries

Today, right in the morning, we will go to the place where at the foot of the mountain is the confluence of two rivers - the Kura and the Aragvi. Pushkin and Lermontov praised this area in their poems. After leaving the car at the parking lot, we will go up to Jvari monastery.
According to legend, St. Nina, the illuminator of Iberia, erected a cross on a mountain here. At first in the place of the cross was a small church, and from the seventh century the monastery Jvari, as we see it now. The architecture of Georgian churches is unusual: it is ascetic, it repeats the shape of the austere mountains around. Time seems to have stood still here. Quiet, calm and gracious. And one does not want to leave. Since Jvari is located on the mountain, it is visible from any point in Mtskheta.

Then a winding mountain road led us to the other side of the river bend, to Mtskheta, to the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. It was built of hewn granite and decorated with frescoes inside. It was built in 1029, but before that, on the place of burial of the Robe of the Lord, there was a small church of the 4th century. Both the place and the cathedral and the feeling of being there are remarkable.

The mountain road from Mtskheta takes us to St. Shio of Mgvim monastery. A little over 10 km and we are in a narrow limestone gorge. Inaccessibility attracted this place the ancient monks, as well as fairly soft rock, so that it was not difficult to dig caves. They can still be seen in the mountains, but now the monks live in cells on the territory of the monastery. It was founded in the VI century by Shio, who came with 12 disciples to enlighten Georgia. Now there are two ancient temples: in honor of John the Baptist, a very complex architecture, and in honor of the Blessed Virgin. A beautiful view of the valley opens up from the monastery, with caves in the rocks, where the monks used to fend for themselves.

We had lunch on the way. We stopped at a Georgian restaurant on the bank of the Kura River. Several rooms, a great view of the river, framed by the emerald trees of the mountains. We are tasting the Georgian cuisine. Vegetables, meat and cheese are a great combination. We were not disappointed.

After lunch we drive into the mountains. On the way we will stop to see the fortress of Ananuri, which is located right on the highway, very convenient. Ananuri is a fortress, built at the confluence of the Vedzatkhevi River into the Aragvi. Now here is a very picturesque reservoir.
The fortress was built in XVI-XVII centuries. Its location allowed to block the road from Darial gorge and retreat into the mountains during the internecine wars in the Middle Ages. Inside the fortress there are three churches and towers. The most beautiful is the Church of the Assumption. Outside it is decorated with a bas-relief of a cross and grapevine. Inside - the ancient frescoes. In ancient times, the fortress was large in size. Now there is a citadel. But even in this form, it makes a remarkable impression. It is interesting to walk around and listen to the noise of the mountain river.

All I can say is this place is amazing! You have to be here, breathe this air, admire the views. It's better to see once than hear 100 times.

In the mountains, where there are beautiful views all around, you can't do without an observation deck. And here it is, built in the form of a panorama with mosaic images of our peoples' exploits. The views are spectacular!

We had dinner in a traditional restaurant. We were quickly served and tried some delicious national dishes. How many variations of bean dishes there are in Georgia! And all of them are edible and quite tasty. Just think!

Let's check into the new hotel. Let's see how it's going here, in the new place?