Church and Kazbek
Georgia's iconic view.
Carole Raddato — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Nata Mostova — Public domain · Jonathan Cardy — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Claire à Taiwan — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Carole Raddato — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Nata Mostova — CC BY-SA 4.0 · t.przechlewski — CC BY 3.0
A fourteenth-century stone church standing alone on a green hill at about 2,170 metres above Stepantsminda, with the snowy summit of Mount Kazbek behind it. It is one of Georgia's most famous and most photographed sights, and the emblem of the whole Kazbegi region. The ensemble consists of the church, a bell tower and a wall around them. The church is cross-in-square in plan, with facades of dark grey stone; its decoration is concentrated around the doors and windows, with carved crosses, rosettes and ornamental bands, and only traces of its original murals survive. Its terrace gives a majestic view over the Terek valley and the villages scattered below, and of Mount Kazbek, a dormant volcano 5,054 metres high. The scene changes with the seasons, from green in summer to snow in winter. Entry is free, so just dress modestly. Visitors walk up from Stepantsminda in an hour and a half to two hours on a steep trail, or take a four-wheel-drive along a mountain road in about twenty minutes. Mountain weather changes fast, so bring a jacket even in summer.
Georgia's iconic view.
Views from the terrace.
Around doors and windows.
Hill above Gergeti village across from Stepantsminda, below Mount Kazbek
Walk up from Stepantsminda in an hour and a half to two hours on a steep trail, or take a four-wheel-drive from town in about twenty minutes.
