Church on the cliff
Growing from the rock.
Patriot Kor — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Moreau.henri — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kober at English Wikipedia — Public domain · Ryzhkov Sergey — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lohen11 — CC BY 4.0 · James Emery from Douglasville, United States — CC BY 2.0 · Mikhail Daneliya — CC0 · Kris D — CC BY-SA 2.0
A medieval stone church on the Metekhi Cliff above the left bank of the Mtkvari, facing Tbilisi's Old Town, built to look like a natural continuation of the rock. It is one of the city's loveliest and most photographed sights, especially when lit up at night above the river. Most of the present building dates from between 1278 and 1289, in the reign of King Demetrius II, though oral tradition traces its origins to the fifth century. It is a cross-in-square church whose dome rests inside on four pillars, and its eastern facade has three projecting apses, a design rare among churches of that era. In front of it, at the edge of the cliff, an equestrian statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali, Tbilisi's founder, looks out over the river and the Old Town. The terrace gives a fine view of the bath district, Narikala Fortress and the Bridge of Peace. Entry is free and the church is a place of worship, so dress modestly: women usually cover their hair and wear a skirt, and men avoid shorts. It is a few minutes' walk from the bath district across the Metekhi Bridge.
Growing from the rock.
Tbilisi's founder.
Above the river.
Metekhi Cliff on the left bank, opposite the Old Town, Tbilisi
Shardeni StreetA small cobbled pedestrian street in the heart of Tbilisi's old town, named afte3 minutes walk
Abanotubani Sulphur BathsA historic quarter of Tbilisi's Old Town whose Georgian name means «bath distric4 minutes walk4.4
Tbilisi History Museum (Karvasla)The Tbilisi History Museum, named after the poet Ioseb Grishashvili and run by t4 minutes walk
Narikala FortressAn ancient fortress crowning a steep hill above Tbilisi's Old Town and the Mtkva4 minutes walk4.8
Sioni CathedralThe Cathedral of the Dormition, known as the Tbilisi Sioni, stands on Sioni Stre4 minutes walk4.9A few minutes' walk from the bath district across the Metekhi Bridge, or along the left bank from the Bridge of Peace.