Monastery · Mtskheta, Mtskheta Municipality, Mtskheta-Mtianeti
Samtavro Monastery
სამთავროს მონასტერი · Samtavro Church
A working convent in the centre of Mtskheta around an 11th-century domed church where Georgia's first Christian king and queen are buried; part of the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta World Heritage property.
Where it is
41.8463, 44.7183
Why go
The nuns keep the grounds as a garden: cypress, fir and yew, and rose-lined paths that give way to photinia, fragrant in May. The main church holds the graves of King Mirian and Queen Nana. Beside it the small St Nino church marks where, historians say, Nino lived when she first reached Mtskheta, and its interior is painted with scenes from her life. The modern Georgian saint Gabriel, a monk, is also buried here, and his grave draws its own visitors to the convent. Pair it with Svetitskhoveli and Jvari to see the whole World Heritage group.
Base yourself nearby
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.
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.
Near Samtavro Monastery
Church
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
The principal cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church in the centre of Mtskheta, rebuilt between 1010 and 1029 by the architect Arsukidze, and part of the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta World Heritage property.
1 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Archaeological site
Armaztsikhe
The excavated citadel of ancient Armazi on Bagineti hill south of Mtskheta, where walls, towers, a palace, a bathhouse and a wine cellar of the pre-Christian kings of Kartli have been uncovered.
1 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Fortress
Bebris Tsikhe
A ruined hilltop fortress on the right bank of the Aragvi just north of Mtskheta, built to shut the town's approach from the Aragvi valley, with its citadel and lower yard still traceable.
1 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Monastery
Jvari Monastery
A stone tetraconch church on a rocky summit where the Aragvi meets the Mtkvari, looking down on Mtskheta; built at the end of the 6th century and part of the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta World Heritage property.
2 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ