Old church
Over the saint's grave.
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A convent set among tall cypresses on a slope above the Alazani valley and the Caucasus, two kilometres from Sighnaghi, and one of Georgia's most important places of pilgrimage, as it holds the relics of St Nino, the evangelist who brought Christianity to the Georgians in the fourth century. Tradition says Nino withdrew to the Bodbe gorge and died there around 340, and King Mirian III had a small monastery built over her grave. The present church was built between the ninth and eleventh centuries and has been restored and remodelled several times, especially in the seventeenth century; the kings of Kakheti were crowned here. The church is a three-aisled basilica enclosing a small chapel over the saint's grave, with a three-storey bell tower from the nineteenth century, tended gardens and wide views. A large new cathedral has recently been built beside it. Below the monastery, reached by a long flight of steps, is St Nino's spring, whose water many believe has healing powers. Entry is free and the convent is home to nuns and busy with worshippers, so dress modestly and keep quiet. The steps down to the spring are long and steep on the way back, so take your time; mornings, before the tour buses arrive, are best.
Over the saint's grave.
Below the convent.
And valley views.
About two kilometres south of Sighnaghi, Kakheti
Yes; a long stairway leads down from the convent, the climb back is harder, and visitors come for water they believe has healing powers.
