Mtskheta is incredibly close to Tbilisi and is well worth a visit. Not just because it once was the Capital of Georgia, (now a village outside Tbilisi), but because it is also a World Heritage site in its own right and has at least three amazing very ancient Christian buildings and allegedly was the location in Georgia where early Christianity took hold.
There are many stories associated with Mtskheta and early Christianity many about Saint Nino. She is believed to have lived in a log hut on the site of the Samtavro Nunnary. This is also the spot where the first Christian Church was erected in the 4th Century. She is credited with introducing Christianity in Georgia. The atmosphere on this beautiful site is very special. There are many helpers in the Church, polishing and cleaning almost invisible specs of dust. People are constantly lighting candles in front of icons and kissing the glass and praying, presumably for the sick or those who have passed away. A couple of nuns chatting around a plastic bag full of sweets poured a pile into my hands!
Tiny Church in Nunnery gardens on site of Nino’s hut and the first 4th Century Church in Georgia
Mtskheta Confluence of two rivers
Mtskheta was founded at the confluence of the Mtvari and Aragvi rivers over 3,000 years ago! Initially it was the centre of the pagan cult of Armazi, similar to Zoroastrian traditions. During the 4th and 5th Century the town converted to Christianity and continued as Georgia’s main Christian town till the 12th Century. Dominating the centre of the village and its main draw is the Sveti Tshoveli, the Cathedral Of the 12 Apostles.
Mtskheta viewed from Jvari Nino Cross Church on hill
Mtskheta Cathedral. Just married (Portuguese man and Georgian bride)
Sveti Tshoveli, the Cathedral Of the 12 Apostles.
Sveti Tshoveli, the Cathedral Of the 12 Apostles.
Jvari Monastery
Jvari Monastery
Jvari Monastery stands on the spot where Nino first set up her Christian cross, 150 metres above Mtskheta and its pagan shrines. It became the first home of Christianity in Georgia and the buildings date back to between AD586 and 604. It is considered to be the first apse buttressed cruciform Church.
Saint Nino Cross in Jvari Church overlooking the village of Mtskheta
Jvari Monastery overlooking Mtskheta
We stopped in Mtskheta overnight, parking the Sprinter in a massive parking spot close to the Orthodox Cathedral (with a view of the Jvari monastery high up out of the window). We negotiated filling up our water tanks from a nearby tap before our sightseeing and willing helpers interested in the van relieved us of heavy lifting! We were asked to lift the bonnet so local drivers could peer inside!
To reach the Cathedral you run the gauntlet of small stalls selling trinkets, spices, honey and Wine Ice-cream! The drinking culture in Georgia is alive and well and must be a contributing factor to the relatively low life expectancy, particularly for men. (73 years).
The small village attracts many visitors but Jim and we found a lovely restaurant away from the stalls and we had a proper Georgian lunch peacefully sitting alongside the river.
As we continued our tour of Churches in town, we saw some local lads revving up their cars at a road junction. It looked as though they were about to race illegally on the rather fine road through the village in front of the Nunnary. No sooner had they lined up revving their engines, when the local constabulary swooped in front of them and stopped them even starting.
Later that evening, in the vast car park, there was the occasional whirl of a fast car screeching around the tarmac! There is a bit of a boy racer culture amongst the young and taken together with the drinking culture, the gravestones seem to have images of quite a lot of young men.
Luckily the tyre screeching did not last all night and we slept reasonably soundly, (apart from being buffeted a bit by strong winds), ready to start the day with a visit to Jvari Monastery where famously is displayed a replica of the Nino Cross which she is said to have placed above the town in an attempt to drive out paganism and promote Christianity. From here there are great views over the confluence of rivers and the Cathedral far below.
Most roads in GeorgiaTbilisi have Wine Route signs. However, be warned, in most cases there might be one wine seller and one field of vines, if you look hard. Telavi to the East of Tbilisi is however, the real deal. We planned to visit the Telavi area and Sighnaghi town both offering wines. We located a recommended vineyard to buy some wine and Jim purchased 9 bottles to take home. They had no packaging or boxes and so he and the cashier came out clutching the bottles in their arms. Luckily I had some bottle packaging in the Sprinter which we used to safely store it away. We found it hard to understand how this worked economically, if they were not geared up to sell anything? What we did notice was that the wine from the vineyard was the same price we were paying in restaurants. So not inexpensive.
Almost every journey in Georgia necessarily involves roads passing through woods winding your way through areas surrounded by mountains. Our visit to the Okro restaurant and winery was no different. We arrived in the little village of Sighnaghi which sat on top of a very steep hill and had commanding views over the plains far below. In the distance were ranges of mountains. It was lunchtime on National day when we arrived. The place was buzzing with young people performing in National Dress and singing. The bus station was full of coaches and small buses that had come in from the surrounding hamlets. The streets were cobbled and the houses were overhanging the narrow lanes. We had to watch our height carefully as we crept into the bus station car park to leave the Sprinter.
Old Mercedes classic car imported from the USA
National children’s day. Lots of performances in National dress
Wine tasting with a view
The Okra restaurant and wineary was a superb spot to embark on a spot of wine tasting! It sat at one of the highest spots in the village and had amazing balcony views. The winegrower presenting the wines was incredibly knowledgeable about her wines. Most of the wines we tasted were her’s and organic. (Sister’s Wine). They were mainly Amber (so sort of sherry coloured) and Rosé wines and very distinctive in taste. Also she was trying to preserve old Georgian vine species that were not found elsewhere, had become very rare even in Georgia. We purchased some wine but it was very different to the tastes we know and love! The portions were quite modest but that did not stop Jim sleeping off the rest of the afternoon!
Selection of organic Georgian wines for tasting
St Nino Bodbe Monastery
The following day, we were about to descend from Sighnaghi when we found that we were very close to the site of Saint Nino Bodbe Monastery. It is said that her remains were buried in this spot and that the beautiful monastery has some Saint Nino relics. The site is stunning and the gardens and buildings are incredibly well cared for by nuns and a team of gardeners. Jim and I discovered a beautiful steep forested walk starting in the garden, down (a very long way down) to a Holy Spring. The waters are supposed to be restorative and when we arrived on foot, there was a young couple who had taken their car to it from a small track through the woods, and were filling up many plastic bottles of water to take home. There was an ancient stone building around the spring and it was possible to enter a cavelike room, strip off, in order to immerse yourself in freezing cold spring water behind a slightly tatty curtain! For some reason Jim thought the better of it. After scrutinising the iOverlander app, I think we could potentially have camped out near the Spring if we had not partaken of the wine tasting the previous afternoon!
Steep Wooded walk leading to holy watering place
Water being harvested for health giving properties
Our last stop before leaving Sighnaghi was to locate the nearby Living Roots Ranch which advertised organic food, a brewery, a remote peaceful location and horse riding activities. It was a great spot to have a peaceful brunch. Our bulky Sprinter lurched down a tiny uneven farm track with drops down one side into the valley below. We came to a halt at a peaceful settlement with posh organic nosh outdoors under shady trees. Even here, solidarity with Ukraine was on show with the Ukrainian flag aloft in the organic garden. As well as several dogs and cats, there was a donkey roaming free and at some point the horses just turned up to see if they were required. Even the view as ee drank our coffee was amazing and we spied another little Church in the valley below.
After a restorative brunch, we returned to Tbilisi ready to leave for the last time. Our route back took us along amazingly beautiful roads through sparsely populated wooded areas that looked like a National Park. In some ways much of the country is like a National Park, being covered in so much woodland.
Our final tour in Georgia would take us up to Mestia which was a small town in an incredibly remote mountainous area where people were living very differently from other parts of Georgia. The house style was different. It was incredibly rural and the living conditions were harsh and the roads were frequently blocked by an assortment of cows, horses and an incredible number of pigs. These remoter areas are surrounded by snow capped peaks, hard to reach waterfalls, gorges, springs and multiple towers. Their roads are poorly maintained and make travel difficult. This trip will be the subject of the next blog.
