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Church · Mtskheta, Mtskheta Municipality, Mtskheta-Mtianeti

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral

სვეტიცხოველი · Svetitskhoveli

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.

Where it is

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41.8423, 44.7210

Why go

The name means life-giving pillar. Legend tells that a cedar grew where Christ's robe was buried, that Saint Nino had seven columns cut from it, and that one rose into the air until her prayers brought it down; the robe is still believed to lie beneath the cathedral. Unusually for a Georgian church of its age, its builders are known: an inscription on the western façade credits Catholicos Melchizedek and his chief architect Arsukidze. Inside, the surviving fresco fragments and the sheer size of the building repay slow looking. Jvari on its hill and Samtavro across town complete the set.

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 Svetitskhoveli Cathedral