The church is dedicated to the Iveria icon of the Virgin. The name Iveria is an old Greek term for eastern Georgia, and the icon of that name is famed on Athos, in the Iviron monastery founded by Georgians: the dedication ties this Racha parish to that long tradition.
Ambrolauri is the administrative centre of Racha, a small town on the Rioni. The church stands in the town itself, which is rare in a district where almost every shrine is a village one. The neighbours are scattered around: the church of Velieti about three and a half kilometres away, the ruins of Sadmeli three and a half, the church of Kviriketsminda four.
The parish is urban and better attended than village ones, so getting inside is easier. The usual rules: covered shoulders and knees, a headscarf for women, silence. Ambrolauri is a convenient base for travelling in Racha, with roads fanning out from here into all the valleys.
โช On site
- A church of the Iveria icon of the Virgin
- Ambrolauri, the administrative centre of Racha
- The name Iveria is an old term for eastern Georgia
๐ Getting there
- Landmark: the centre of Ambrolauri, Racha Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti; about eight kilometres to Nikortsminda
- For navigation tap Build Route
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