Samtavro Monastery is a unique architectural monument

Georgia region of Mtskheta-Mtianeti Convent of St. Nino in Mtskheta (Samtavro) Map is loading…

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41.845123; 44.715485

Georgia, Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, Mtskheta

Mtskheta-Mtianeti region

Georgia

Samtavro Monastery

- the complex of the Samtavro-Transfiguration Church and the Convent of St. Nino is located at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers (city of Mtskheta, Georgia). The monastery is under the jurisdiction of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi.

History[edit]

The first church on this site is believed to have been built in the 4th century by King Mirian III. According to Vakhushti Bagrationi, “Mirian built a magnificent church with a stone dome and was himself buried there.” The Samtavro Church became a tomb: “and Mirian was buried south of the middle pillar, and in the fourth year Queen Nana died and was buried west of the same pillar where the king was buried.” Thanks to large donations, the temple was one of the richest in Georgia.

The temple was destroyed and rebuilt many times. In the first half of the 11th century, during the reign of George I, by order of Catholicos-Patriarch Melchizedek I, the temple was expanded, the southern gate was added and decorated with original ornaments, which have no analogues in Georgian architecture. The temple interior was also decorated.

Temples, architecture

The current Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord is a cross-domed church from the first half of the century. The planned composition of the temple here is narrowed and shortened so that of the dome pillars, only the 2 western ones stand freely, while the eastern pair merges with the projection of the altar wall: a similar solution later became the rule for Georgian architecture. The dome drum, destroyed by an earthquake in the 13th century, was restored in the 13th-14th centuries. A special creative approach is felt in the decorative design of the facades: the southern and northern ones are decorated differently, taking into account the natural lighting of the temple. On the evenly illuminated north side, the window casing ornament is placed on a flat surface; the platbands have an angular shape, thanks to which the ornamental pattern becomes clearer and more graphic. On the strongly illuminated southern facade, the carving is on a curved convex surface, which gives it picturesque and plasticity. There are no analogues of this ornament in Georgian architecture. Inside the temple, the iconostasis of the century and frescoes of the 17th century are preserved.

The cylindrical tower of the monastery was built in the 18th century, the bell tower in the 17th century.

The small church at the “ezhevichnik” is now dedicated to Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina.

How to get there[edit]

Address:

Davit Aghmashenebelis qucha, Mtskheta 383400, Georgia

Directions:

You can get to Mtskheta from Tbilisi. It’s best from the Didube bus station (from the metro along the passage a little to the left and forward, a little to the right and beyond the area with minibuses to Borjomi, Batumi and Poti). The minibus will take you to the ancient capital in half an hour. You need to leave as soon as you see the temples of Mtskheta (you can go all the way to the end, and then return, having examined the excavations of the Samtavra burial ground along the way). We recommend planning your main transport movements in the morning. Fans of organized trips can contact tour operators who travel to historical places in Georgia. It would be a good idea for independent travelers to learn the Georgian alphabet (for reading place names). If you wish, you can always ask local residents, but you must take into account that people of the older generation speak Russian better. The optimal time to travel is September-October.

Abbess

• St. Nina (Amilakhvari), eldest (1802 - February 11, 1839) [6]
• Daria (Pagava) (November 19, 1846 - 1853)
• Anna (Okropidze)
• Minadora (Purtseladze) (? - September 15, 1863)
• St. Nina (Amilakhvari), youngest (October 8, 1863 - December 29, 1904) [7]
• Nishime (Tsitsishvili) (February 10, 1905 - May 16, 1910)
• Nina (Tsitsishvili) (May 16, 1910 - 1941)
• Anisia (Kochlamazashvili) (1933 - after 1945), treasurer

A little history

It is believed that Saint Nina, Equal to the Apostles, the enlightener of Georgia, lived in this place. Preaching Christianity, she reached Mtskheta, first settled with the royal gardener, and then went to the north of the city, where she settled in a hut. Here, later, King Mirian built the Church of St. Nina - Makvlovani, which means “blackberry”. In the Christian tradition, Equal-to-the-Apostles are those who, like the apostles, led Christian preaching among pagan peoples. In Georgia this is Saint Nina. Later, a second church, the Transfiguration Church, was built, much taller and accommodating more people, so it soon received the status of a cathedral.

Necropolis

In addition to the burials in the Transfiguration Church, the holy elder Gabriel (Urgebadze), one of the most revered Georgian ascetics of modern times, was buried on the territory of the monastery, whose grave many pilgrims come to.

On the slope of the mountain, between the monastery and the Georgian Military Road, a vast ancient burial ground was discovered in 1871. The lower tier of the tombs contains objects from the beginning of the Iron Age, the upper one belongs to the Christian era: coins of Emperor Augustus were found there. The skulls from the Samtavra tombs differ sharply in shape from the skulls of the current inhabitants of Georgia and the Caucasus and belong to dolichocephals.

Transfiguration Cathedral

The church, consecrated in the name of the Transfiguration of the Lord , was built by the holy king Mirian four years after returning from Bodbe from the funeral of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina. Considering that two options are known for dating her death (335 or 347), the date of construction of the church should be considered the interval between 339 and 351. However, the original building has not survived; the current temple stylistically dates back to the 11th century and was built simultaneously with the Svetitskhoveli building that has come down to us under Tsar George I.

In comparison with the temple erected under Tsar Mirian, as far as one can judge from the basement and the surviving Church of St. Nino, the cathedral was significantly expanded and equipped with a southern portal. The current building has been partially destroyed several times. The temple had to be restored almost entirely after the earthquake of 1283, when the dome collapsed, and after the invasion of Tamerlane (1386 - 1403). At the same time, it is quite possible that the proportions were slightly changed, but stylistically the later “versions” inherited the earlier ones. Since the 17th century, the cathedral has been renovated several times.

The temple served as a tomb for the primates of the Georgian Orthodox Church; the tradition comes from its builders - the holy king Mirian himself and his wife, holy Nana, were the first to be buried here by the right of the high priests of Georgia.

The Transfiguration Cathedral is a cross-domed church (27.3 m long, 17.2 m wide, 27.5 m high under the dome), with two separate western pillars and eastern pillars built into the altar barrier. Light pours abundantly from numerous windows located in the dome drum and on all four walls of the temple. The original interior paintings have not survived, and fragments of later ones remain here and there.

There are two entrances to the cathedral: western and southern (the main entrance, highlighted by a portico with very fine carvings of ornaments). The walls of the cathedral and the drum of the dome are decorated with relief images and ornaments carved in stone.

The design of the cathedral's facades varies, the most austere of which are the western (facing a steep slope and therefore designed in a minimalist manner) and the eastern (only a window frame, a cross above the wall in the altar and two deep niches on the sides). When constructing the side facades, the difference in lighting was taken into account - the reliefs of the northern facade are much more voluminous, but the reliefs of the southern facade are thinner, which looks especially impressive in the bright rays of the sun.

A three-story bell tower rises above the fence, which also served as a watchtower for the monastery.

Shrines

In the Transfiguration Church:

• part of the life-giving pillar,
• miraculous copy of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God - on the image there is an inscription: “Holy Iveron Georgian Monastery 1919”
• miraculous icon of Equal to the Apostles Nina - donated from St. Petersburg by Tsar George XII to his grandchildren in 1770
• part of the stone from the grave of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina of Bodbe
• Relics of saints:
• Equal App. kings Mirian and Nana (buried at the pillar in the temple, now both graves can be seen to the left of the entrance)
• Sschmch. Aviva of Nekres (+ c. 560s, buried under the throne)
• St. Shio Mgvimsky (+ VII century)

Practical information

You can get to the complex from Tbilisi station. m. "Didube" by minibus to the center of Mtskheta, then 7 minutes on foot. There is no number, the name of the route is written in Georgian, so it is better to ask where exactly the required taxi to Mtskheta is. Travel time is 20-25 minutes, fare is 1.5 GEL. Prices on the page are as of August 16.

Also in the direction of Samtavro, trains depart from the Tbilisi railway station to the Mtskheta station, but this is less convenient, since from the station to the city center you need to walk for quite a long time along the river; fare - 1 GEL. A taxi ride will cost 50 GEL.

By car: along the E60 highway, in the direction of Mtskheta, GPS coordinates: 41.846459; 44.71836.

Samtavro Monastery

• Address:
  Mtskheta, Georgia
• Confession:
  Georgian Orthodox Church
• Type:
  nunnery
• Status:
  active

In the ancient capital of Georgia - Mtskheta - there is a unique architectural monument - the Samtavro Convent. This is the oldest temple in the country, which houses the most important Christian relics. The monastery was the center of Christianity for quite a long time, and in addition, it was considered one of the richest in the country.

Where is the attraction located?

Samtavro Monastery is located 25 km from Tbilisi, at the address: Mtskheta, David Agmashenebelis Street. It is located at the confluence of 2 rivers: Aragvi and Mtkvari.

History of the monastery

The very first church on the site of the modern monastery complex appeared in the 4th century, when King Mirian ruled the country. There is a legend that says that St. Equal to the Apostles Nina, who is considered the enlightener of Georgia, originally lived here. She preached Christianity and settled in the northern part of Mtskheta, where she built herself a small hut.

The church was destroyed and rebuilt several times. In the 11th century, by order of Tsar George the First, its territory was significantly expanded, the buildings were decorated with ornaments, and gates and temples were completed. Samtavro Monastery became the main Christian center in Georgia. Pilgrims came to him from all over the country, bringing gifts and offerings here. Thus, the monastery grew rich and expanded.

In the 19th century, a women’s theological school was opened at the Samtavro monastery, and later a burial ground was discovered near the temple in Mtskheta. It contained objects dating back to the Iron Age. In 1994, the monastery was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

What is the temple famous for?

On the territory of the monastery complex there are tombs of Georgian monarchs and priests. The most famous of them is considered to be the tomb where King Mirian and his wife Nino, who converted to Christianity from St. Nina, are buried. It consists of 2 marble tombstones and is decorated with religious themes.

In the fence of the Samtavro monastery lie the relics of St. Gabriel (Urgebadze), who is highly revered by local residents. In 2012 he was canonized. The monastery also contains the remains of St. Aviv of Nekres, considered the founder of Georgian monasticism. There is a legend that he converted the Kakhetians and Persians.

Architecture of the monastery complex

On the territory of the monastery there are several buildings surrounded by an ancient fortress wall. The most visited of them are:

1. The Transfiguration Cathedral
   is the largest building of the Samtavro Monastery, the walls of which are decorated with skillful ornaments. The temple has the status of a cathedral. It is a cross-domed building, inside of which there are frescoes and an iconostasis created between the 15th and 17th centuries.
2. Church of St. Nina
   - in the old days, the walls of the temple were painted with stunning paintings that were not inferior to the works of the Renaissance masters. Over time, the paint faded, and today the drawings are practically indistinguishable.
3. Temple of the Archangel Michael
   - it was built in the classical Georgian style. Its interior is austere and simple, decorated only with carved stone walls.
4. The bell tower
   was erected in the Middle Ages after a strong earthquake. At that time it served as a watchtower.

What to see in the monastery?

Currently, pilgrims come to the Samtavro Monastery to venerate Christian shrines, which include:

• Iveron miraculous icon of the Mother of God;
• relics of Saint Shio Mgvimsky;
• a piece of the Life-Giving Pillar brought from Svetitskhoveli Cathedral;
• part of the stone from Bodbe, where the grave of St. Nina is located;
• the relics of one of the 13 Syrian fathers, etc.

Entrance here is free, but photography and video shooting inside the monastery is prohibited. During the service, parishioners and priests must not be distracted.

How to get to the Samtavro Monastery?

You can get here from Tbilisi by minibus, which departs from the Didube metro station. You need to get off in ]Mtskheta[/anchor], and then walk a little to the monastery. The fare is $0.50 and travel time takes up to 25 minutes.

Church of St. Nina

The “small” temple of the monastery - the “small” church of St. Nina (Makvlovani) - is the most ancient temple of Mtskheta, it was built in the first years after the baptism of Georgia, at the same time when the first, now disappeared, churches were erected on the sites of the future Svetitskhoveli and Samtavro cathedrals . Despite many renovations (non-author's registrations covering the original painting in some places) and minor alterations, the church retains the features of early Christian Georgian architecture and is visibly different from the later buildings of Mtskheta.

At the beginning of the last century, they wrote about the wall painting of the Church of St. Nino that, with its magnificent female figures, it resembles the Renaissance painting of Italian masters (in the spirit of Titian) and is not at all in harmony with the strict and somewhat gloomy style of Mtskheta churches. The current state of this painting allows one to only guess what appeared to the pilgrim’s eyes a century ago.

The temple looks very strict and even somewhat gloomy. But it’s worth remembering the life of Nina herself and it becomes clear that this temple simply cannot be any other way. The asceticism of the Church of St. Nina is in perfect harmony with its surroundings. But this is a beautiful large temple of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and nature, the view of which is simply impossible to tear yourself away from. This small church seems to attract people precisely with its simplicity and modesty. And this is exactly what Nina herself was - a simple and modest woman who accomplished a real feat for the glory of the Name of Christ for the entire Orthodox people.