Carved facades
11th-century arcading.
Kroc, Łukasz Dzieżyc — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kris Duda — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Jaba1977 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Giftzwerg 88 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · DAVID HOLT from London, England — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Dan Lundberg — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Archil sutiashvili — CC BY-SA 4.0
An Orthodox cathedral at the heart of historic Mtskheta, one of Georgia's holiest places, enclosed by high stone walls with towers. A masterpiece of the Middle Ages, it is the second-largest church in Georgia after Tbilisi's Holy Trinity Cathedral and part of the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta, listed by UNESCO in 1994. The first church was built in the fourth century under King Mirian III, on the spot tradition says St Nino chose. Georgian hagiography tells how a Mtskheta man named Elias brought Christ's robe back from Jerusalem and that it was buried here with his sister Sidonia, which is why the cathedral is revered as the robe's resting place. The architect Arsukisdze completed the present cross-in-square building between 1010 and 1029, and its exterior arcading is a well-preserved example of eleventh-century decoration. For centuries it was the burial place of Georgia's kings; inside are frescoes and icons, though many frescoes were lost when they were whitewashed under Russian imperial rule. Entry is free and the cathedral is busy with worshippers, so dress modestly. Mtskheta is about half an hour by car from Tbilisi; the streets around the cathedral have restaurants and souvenir shops, and most visitors pair it with Jvari Monastery on the hill opposite.
11th-century arcading.
Inside the cathedral.
Around the cathedral.
Centre of historic Mtskheta, about twenty kilometres north of Tbilisi
About twenty kilometres, roughly half an hour by car; minibuses and organised tours also run from Tbilisi.
