Mtskheta is a city in Mtskheta-Mtianeti province of Georgia. One of the oldest cities of Georgia and its former capital, it is located approximately 20 kilometres north of Tbilisi, at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers. Currently a small provincial capital, for nearly a millennium until the 5th century AD, Mtskheta was a large fortified city, a significant economical and political centre of the Kingdom of Iberia.
Gelati is a medieval monastic complex near Kutaisi in the Imereti region of western Georgia. Gelati was founded in 1106 by King David IV of Georgia and is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Akhaltsikhe is a small city in Georgia's southwestern region (mkhare) of Samtskhe–Javakheti. It is situated on the both banks of a small river Potskhovi, which separates the city to the old city in the north and new in the south.
Samtskhe–Javakheti, is a region (mkhare) in southern Georgia which includes the historical Georgian provinces of Meskheti, Javakheti and Tori. Akhaltsikhe is its capital.
Vardzia is a cave monastery site in southern Georgia, excavated from the slopes of the Erusheti Mountain on the left bank of the Kura River, thirty kilometres from Aspindza. The main period of construction was the second half of the twelfth century. The caves stretch along the cliff for some five hundred meters and in up to nineteen tiers. The Church of the Dormition, dating to the 1180s during the golden age of Tamar and Rustaveli, has an important series of wall paintings. The site was largely abandoned after the Ottoman takeover in the sixteenth century. Now part of a state heritage reserve, the extended area of Vardzia-Khertvisi has been submitted for future inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Battle of Aspindza was fought on 20 April 1770 between the Georgians, led by king of Kartli-Kakheti Erekle II, and the Ottoman Empire. The Georgians won a victory over the Turks.
Aspindza is a daba in southern Georgia's region of Samtskhe-Javakheti with a population of 2,793, mostly ethnic Georgians. It is located at around 41°34′26″N43°15′22″E.
Vanis Kvabebi is a cave monastery in Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia near Aspindza town and the more famous cave city of Vardzia. The complex dates from 8th century and consists of a defensive wall built in 1204 and a maze of tunnels running on several levels in the side of the mountain.
The Church of St. George of Ilori is a Medieval, originally Georgian Orthodox Church in the village of Ilori, in the Ochamchira District of Abkhazia, Georgia. The Church was built in the first quarter of the 11th century, and represents one of the most important sites of western Georgian architecture. It is also considered one of the more significant religious locations of Medieval western Georgia. The building has a single-nave design.
Aspindza is a district of Georgia, in the region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. Its main town is Aspindza.
Bolnisi Sioni or Bolnisi Sioni Cathedral is a Georgian Orthodox basilica in the Bolnisi village of Bolnisi District, Georgia. The cathedral was built in 478–493. It is the oldest extant church building in Georgia. Bishop David was the overseeing church leader for the construction of Bolnisi Sioni.
The Katskhi pillar is a natural limestone monolith located at the village of Katskhi in western Georgian region of Imereti, near the town of Chiatura. It is approximately 40 metres (130 ft) high, and overlooks the small river valley of Katskhura, a right affluent of the Q'virila.
The Church of the Theotokos of Vale is a medieval Georgian Orthodox church at the town of Vale in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region in the south of Georgia, built in honor of the Theotokos.
Ivane II Jaqeli was a Georgian prince (mtavari) and longest-reigning Atabeg of Samtskhe from 1391 to 1444. His father was Beka II, the great-grandson of Beka I Jaqeli. In 1395, after Aghbugha I's death Ivane took an absolute power. Ivane was an energetic ruler. In 1390s he was fighting against Tamerlane to defend Meskhetian lands, but in 1400 economically weakened Ivane surrendered to the Turco-Mongolian forces. In early 1410s Ivane created separatist factions against Bagrationi dynasty. He wanted to gain independence for the Meskhetian church, but faced opposition of Georgian clergy. In 1414 King Alexander I had defeated Ivane II at the battle of Aspindza. Atabeg was captured by royal servants. By the order of King he committed the oath of allegiance and returned to his throne. In his last years elderly Ivane had left most of the powers of Principality in the hands of his two sons, Aghbugha and Qvarqvare.
Zeda Vardzia is an 11th-century Georgian Orthodox church, of the Theotokos, located in the Aspindza Municipality in Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. The church is situated 3 km northwest of Vardzia, the medieval rock-hewn complex. The church is inscribed on the list of the Immovable Cultural Monuments of National Significance of Georgia.
The Eparchy of Akhaltsikhe and Tao-Klarjeti is an eparchy (diocese) of the Georgian Orthodox Church with its seat in Akhaltsikhe, Georgia. It has jurisdiction over Akhaltsikhe, Adigeni, Aspindza municipalities in Georgia and historical region of Tao-Klarjeti, currently part of Turkey.
The Shoreti monastery is a medieval Christian monastery in south Georgia, lying in a rocky valley in the Aspindza Municipality, Samtskhe-Javakheti. It consists of several structures, the main church—dedicated to Saint George—being built in several construction phases between the 6th–7th and 15th centuries. The church, standing in ruins, was completely rebuilt in 2018. It is notable for mosaic adornments and medieval inscriptions. The monastery is inscribed on the list of the Immovable Cultural Monuments of National Significance of Georgia.
Zeda Tmogvi is a medieval Christian church in south Georgia, in the historical province of Javakheti. The extant building is a three-nave basilica, built in the reign of Bagrat IV of Georgia (1027–1072) on the place of an earlier church. Its façades contain several contemporaneous Georgian inscriptions, which make mention of historical persons of that time. The church is inscribed on the list of the Immovable Cultural Monuments of National Significance of Georgia.
