Fortress · Bochorma, Tianeti Municipality, Mtskheta-Mtianeti
Bochorma Fortress
ბოჭორმის ციხე · Bochorma Fortress Complex
A mountain fortress in Tianeti municipality whose walls and towers follow the terrain around a tenth-century church of St George, once the key to controlling Kakheti.
Where it is
41.9097, 45.1493
Why go
Bochorma appears in written sources from the tenth century, and whoever held it was said to control all of Kakheti, which made it a frequent target. The church of St George at its centre lost its dome in 1923 but otherwise stands, with fragments of wall painting showing the life of St George, the miracles of Christ, the twelve great feasts and the Last Judgement. South of the church, the tower called the King's Hall has gunports and wide views, and the other towers still show fireplaces, niches and windows. The complex is open to visitors, though practical information is scarce, and it suits those interested in military architecture and medieval painting.
Near Bochorma Fortress
Fortress
Ujarma Fortress
A fortress town on a rocky ridge above the right bank of the Iori near the Gombori Pass, founded under King Aspagur and made a royal residence by Vakhtang Gorgasali in the fifth century.
11 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Church
Kvetera Church
A small tenth-century domed church with four apses, standing on a hilltop inside the abandoned fortress town of Kvetera on the right bank of the Ilto near Akhmeta.
17 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Monastery
Ikalto Monastery
A monastery in Ikalto, a short drive from Telavi, founded in the sixth century by Zenon, one of the Syrian fathers, and home to a medieval academy until Shah Abbas I's army burned it in 1616.
19 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Historic site
Batonistsikhe
The walled residence of the Kakhetian kings in Telavi, with a royal palace, court churches and a royal bath enclosed by a five-metre battlemented wall.
27 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ