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Monastery · Motsameta, Tqibuli Municipality, Imereti

Motsameta Monastery

მოწამეთა

A small monastery on a rock promontory in a bend of the Tskaltsitela river, a few kilometres from Kutaisi and usually visited on the way to Gelati.

Where it is

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42.2822, 42.7589

Why go

Motsameta is the setting more than the building. It stands on a spur of rock inside a loop of the Tskaltsitela river, with the gorge dropping away on three sides and Colchic forest on the slopes — a much smaller and much more dramatic site than Gelati, twenty minutes further up the same road. The name means place of the martyrs. It commemorates David and Constantine Mkheidze, brothers of the noble house of Argveti who led a rising against the Arab occupation in the eighth century, refused to convert, and were killed and thrown into the river. The river's name — Tskaltsitela, red water — is traditionally explained by their blood. King Bagrat IV built a church here in the eleventh century on the site of an earlier one destroyed in the same invasion, and the brothers' relics are kept in the crypt. Visitors are told that crawling under the crypt grants a wish, and you will usually see someone doing it. It is a living tradition at a working monastery rather than a tourist installation, which is worth remembering about how you behave around it.

Getting there

About four and a half kilometres north-east of Kutaisi in a straight line, on a side road off the Tqibuli road — roughly halfway between the city and Gelati, which is why almost nobody comes here on its own trip. The turning is signposted and the last stretch is a narrow lane down to the gorge; the final approach to the gate is on foot, through forest, and is short but steep in places.

Best time to visit

Autumn, when the forest in the gorge turns, and spring for the same reason in green. Early morning is quietest, before the Gelati tours work their way down.

Through the year

Open year-round. The approach path is slippery in wet weather and after snow.

Safety

The monastery sits on a promontory with steep, largely unguarded drops into the gorge, and the paving and forest path are slippery when wet. Keep children close to the terrace edge.

Public transport

No dedicated service is documented. In practice this is reached by car or taxi, usually combined with Gelati.

Accessibility

A steep, uneven approach on a rock promontory with steps and thresholds. There is no published accessibility provision, and the setting makes step-free access unlikely.

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City

Kutaisi

Kutaisi is one of Georgia’s oldest cities and the cultural heart of Imereti, combining medieval monuments, lively markets, bridges over the Rioni, distinctive western Georgian food and easy access to caves, monasteries, canyons, spa towns and wine country.

Getting here

How to get to Motsameta Monastery

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  1. By air

    Fly into Kutaisi International Airport (KUT).

  2. By road

    Continue from Kutaisi International Airport by road.

    25.6 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ

  3. On foot

    The last stretch is on foot: A short walk from the parking area to the gate.

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Vehicle

Accessible by standard car

An ordinary hire car reaches this on made roads. No special vehicle is needed.

  • · The road is narrow, with limited passing
  • · Parking stops well before the place itself

The turning off the Tqibuli road is narrow and drops towards the gorge, and the last stretch to the gate is on foot through forest rather than by car. Any ordinary car reaches the parking area; nothing reaches the gate.

Road last checked 2026-09-10.

A description of the road, not an assurance about your trip. Conditions change with weather and season.

Arrival airport

Kutaisi International AirportKUT

25.6 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ

Kutaisi International is the arrival airport. From there it is a drive across the city and out on the Tqibuli road, and almost everyone combines this with Gelati on the same trip rather than making two journeys.

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