11th-century architecture
Carved stone facades.
Marcin Konsek — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marcin Konsek — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jaba1977 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · G.N. — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY 4.0 · Jaba1977 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Herbert Frank from Wien (Vienna), AT — CC BY 2.0 · Herbert Frank from Wien (Vienna), AT — CC BY 2.0
An eleventh-century cathedral on Ukimerioni Hill above central Kutaisi, officially the Cathedral of the Dormition and named after King Bagrat III, in whose reign it was built. A masterpiece of medieval Georgian architecture, it is a landmark visible from most of the city. An inscription on its north wall records that the floor was laid in 1003, when Kutaisi was the capital of the Kingdom of Georgia. In 1692 a cannonball fired by invading Ottoman troops brought down the dome and ceiling, and it stood in ruins for centuries until restoration began in the 1950s. The restoration was completed in 2012 with the dome and roof rebuilt in modern materials. The work was highly controversial, and UNESCO later removed the cathedral from the World Heritage listing it had shared with Gelati Monastery. Today it is an active cathedral and a favourite venue for weddings. Entry is free, so just dress modestly. Its terrace gives a fine view over the city, the Rioni river and the mountains, and you can walk up from the centre across the White Bridge and through the old lanes in about twenty minutes.
Carved stone facades.
The city and the Rioni.
Beside the cathedral.
Ukimerioni Hill above central Kutaisi
Because its restoration, finished in 2012, rebuilt the dome and roof in modern materials, which UNESCO judged harmful to the building's authenticity; Gelati Monastery remains listed.
