Svetitskoveli

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is a Georgian Orthodox cathedral located in the historical town of Mtskheta.

Svetitskhoveli, known as the burial site of Christ's mantle, has long been the principal Georgian church and remains one of the most venerated places of worship to this day. It presently functions as the seat of the archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi, who is at the same time Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia.

The current cathedral was built in the 11th century by the Georgian architect Arsukisdze, though the site itself is even older dating back to the early 4th century and is surrounded by a number of legends associated primarily with the early Christian traditions.

It is the second largest church building in the country, after the recently consecrated Tbilisi Sameba Cathedral, and is listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site along with other historical monuments of Mtskheta.

The original church was built in IV century A.D. during the reign of Mirian of Kartli. St. Nino is said to have chosen the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers as the place of the first Georgian Church. According to Georgian hagiography, in the first century AD a Georgian Jew from Mtskheta named Elias was in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified. Elias bought Jesus’ robe from a Roman soldier at Golgotha and brought it back to Georgia. Returning to his native city, he was met by his sister Sidonia who upon touching the robe immediately died from the emotions engendered by the sacred object. The robe could not be removed from her grasp, so she was buried with it. The place where Sidonia is buried with Christ's robe is preserved in the Cathedral. Later, from her grave grew an enormous cedar tree. Ordering the cedar chopped down to build the church, St. Nino had seven columns made from it for the church’s foundation. The seventh column, however, had magical properties and rose by itself into the air. It returned to earth after St. Nino prayed the whole night. It was further said that from the magical seventh column a sacred liquid flowed that cured people of all diseases. In Georgian sveti means "pillar" and tskhoveli means "life-giving" or "living", hence the name of the cathedral. An icon portraying this event can be seen on the second column on the right-hand from the entrance. Reproduced widely throughout Georgia, it shows Sidonia with an angel lifting the column in heaven. Saint Nino is in the foreground: King Mirian and his wife, Queen Nana, are to the right and left. Georgia officially adopted Christianity as its state religion in 317.

Jvari

Jvari or Jvari Monastery is a Georgian Orthodox monastery of the 6th century near Mtskheta, Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, eastern Georgia. Jvari Monastery stands on the rocky mountaintop at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers, overlooking the village of Mtskheta, which was formerly the capital of the Kingdom of Iberia.

According to traditional accounts, on this location in the early 4th century Saint Nino, a female evangelist credited with converting King Mirian of Iberia to Christianity, erected a large wooden cross on the site of a pagan temple. The cross was reportedly able to work miracles and therefore drew pilgrims from all over Caucasus. A small church was erected over the remnants of the wooden cross in c.545 named the “Small Church of Jvari”.

The present building or “Great Church of Jvari” was built between 586 and 605 by Ersimtavari Stepanoz I. The importance of Jvari complex increased over time and attracted many pilgrims. In the late Middle Ages, the complex was fortified by a stone wall and gate, remnants of which still survive. During the Soviet period, the structure was largely ignored, with access rendered difficult by tight security at a nearby military base. After the independence of Georgia, the building was restored to active religious use. Jvari was listed together with other monuments of Mtskheta in 1996 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

However, over the centuries the structures suffered damage from rain and wind erosion and inadequate maintenance, and Jvari was listed by the World Monuments Fund as one of the 100 most endangered sites in the world in 2004. After considerable restoration work, it was removed from the list in 2007.

Signagi Museum

Signagi Museum was established in 2007. It is the first high standard museum in Georgia.Signagi Museum exhibits Archeology, Ethnography and  Medieval expositions. Most remarkable exhibition is paintings by Niko Pirosmanashvili, the greatest Georgian self-taught artist of the 19-20th cc.   

The first archeological digs in Georgia are affiliated with the Caucasus Museum founded in 1852. Intensive archeological activities started in Kakheti in the 60-ies of the 20th c. Majority of the unearthed items such as household and cultic articles ranging in time from the Stone Age to the 1st c. BC, are now displayed at the Signagi Museum.

Signagi Museum features diverse ethnographic material: musical instruments, weapons, vestments and items reflecting the lifestyle of this town. 

Medieval exposition features samples of the 4th-18th cc. city life from the settlements of eastern Iberia such as Beri, Rustavi, Khoranta, Nekresi, Khornabuji, Gavazi, Areshi, Gremi, and Bazari.Special place at the Medieval exposition is granted to archeological finds from David Gareja monastic complex. 

Signagi Museum exhibits 16 paintings by Niko Pirosmanashvili. Pirosmani was born in Kakheti’s village of Mirzaani, therefore early period of his artistic career is affiliated with Kakheti. His paintings do not fit into the boundaries of any artistic trend. Pirosmani’s works are of special importance both for Georgian and the world art.

Tsinandali

Tsinandali is a village in Kakheti, Georgia, noted for the estate and its historic winery which once belonged to the 19th-century aristocratic poet Alexander Chavchavadze (1786-1846). It is situated in the district of Telavi, 179km east of Tbilisi.

Alexander Chavchavadze inherited this village, lying in the Alazani River vally, from his father, Prince Garsevan. He refurbished the estate, constructed a new Italianate palace and built a decorative garden in 1835. It was the place where Chavchavadze frequently entertained foreign guests with music, wit, and – most especially – the fine vintages made at his estate winery (marani). Familiar with European ways, Chavchavadze built Georgia’s oldest and largest winery where he combined European and centuries-long Georgian winemaking traditions. The highly regarded dry white Tsinandali is still produced there.

The village and the Chavchavadze estate were further famed by a surprising raid by the troops of Imam Shamil, a charismatic Muslim leader of the northeast Caucasian opposition to the Russian expansion, on July 2, 1854. The attack was commanded by Ghazi-Muhammad, Shamil’s son. Avenging the Chavchavadze family for their contribution to the Russian success in the Caucasian War, the mountaineers pillaged the estate and kidnapped the wife, children and relatives of Alexander’s son, Prince David Chavchavadze. This event sent waves of shock not only into Russia, but the West as well. On March 22, 1855, after complicated negotiations, the hostages were exchanged for Shamil’s captive son Jamal al-Din and 40,000 silver rubles as part of a deal involving a general exchange of prisoners.

After David Chavchavadze’s death, due to the failure to pay the debt to the Russian Public Bank, the estate passed to the property of the Imperial family. The Tsinandali garden was renovated in 1887 and passed to the state n 1917. In 1947, the estate was organized into a museum.

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