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Church · Samtavisi, Kaspi Municipality, Shida Kartli

Samtavisi Cathedral

სამთავისის ტაძარი · Samtavisi

An almost square domed cathedral built in 1030 by the architect Hilarion Samtavneli in Shida Kartli, known for the carved cross and blind arcade on its east façade.

Where it is

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Open Samtavisi Cathedral on the XTOUR map. Directions are available there.

42.0061, 44.4092

Why go

Walk round to the east end first. The decoration there — a large ornamented cross above window frames with lozenge patterns, set within a blind arcade — introduced a scheme that UNESCO's tentative-list entry says was later developed and widely adopted, and a griffin relief sits under the right-hand arch. The dome and west wall were rebuilt in the 15th century, and fragments of 17th-century frescoes survive inside. Within the enclosure are the remains of a bishop's residence and a gate belfry. It works as a stop for anyone driving between Tbilisi and Gori.

Base yourself nearby

city

Tbilisi

Georgia’s capital is a layered city of old balconies, sulfur baths, hillside neighborhoods, contemporary restaurants and centuries of history along the Mtkvari River.

Historic town

Mtskheta

Mtskheta was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Iberia and is the place where Georgia adopted Christianity in the fourth century. Today it is a small, walkable town twenty kilometres from Tbilisi holding Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, the hilltop church of Jvari, the working convent of Samtavro and the archaeological remains of the pre-Christian royal city, inscribed together on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is simultaneously Georgia's most important pilgrimage destination and its most accessible serious historical site.

Near Samtavisi Cathedral