MOST ICONIC 6 CENTURY AD JVARI MONASTERY

Jvari Monastery is one of the most iconic in Georgia. This ancient temple dates back to the 6th century AD. It was built at the dawn of the adoption and spread of Christianity in Georgia. The Jvari temple is located nearby the ancient capital of Georgia, Mtskheta, on the top of a high mountain, from where picturesque views of the neighbourhood open to the intersection of stormy waters of the Aragvi and Kura rivers. Exterior and interior decorations of the temple are made in simple, and we can say quite austere forms. Unlike most Orthodox churches, Jvari is beautiful with its simplicity, rigour and clarity of lines. Two ways lead to the top of the mountain where the temple stands: a new asphalt road for cars and a path through which people used to climb up to the sanctuary from time immemorial. The trail begins at the highway. Climbing up along it until about the middle, you can come across a spring with holy water which is believed to appear thanks to the prayers of St. Nino. This water is considered to be curative and miraculous. The temple of Jvari went through a long and difficult journey of one and a half thousand year’s length along with the Georgian people, experienced hardships and difficulties, becoming a symbol of faith for Georgia. Tips: To get to Jvari Monastery, you'll first want to head toward Mtskheta. In Tbilisi, hop aboard a marshrutka, a shared minivan, for the 20-minute trip to Mtskheta. Once in Mtskheta, organize a round-trip taxi up the monastery and back, as it's deceptively too far to reach by foot.