The 10th-century church complex of Lavra Vejini, which includes more than five different buildings, is a landmark of Georgia and very popular with tourists.
In Kakheti, in the village of Vejini, there is a church complex "Ascension". It consists of the Church of the Ascension, the Church of Holy Pascha, the Church of St. Mary, the Fortress of Tamara and the two-story bell towers. The buildings were rebuilt and restored at different times...
You are interested in original architecture and looking for the most beautiful places in Georgia, then you should visit the Vejini Monasteries.
Vejini Ascension monastery complex is located in the province of Katekha, (Gurjaani municipality), in the village of Vejini. Locals call this architectural ensemble "Ascension".
About the monastery complex
The church complex dates from the X-XI centuries and was built of cobblestone. It includes the Church of the Ascension, the Church of Holy Pascha, the Church of St. Mary, the Tamar Fortress and the two-story bell towers. Due to the venerable age of the buildings were repeatedly rebuilt and restored.
One of the elements of the architectural complex is a castle. Surrounded by ravines, it remained inaccessible to enemies, which was a significant strategic advantage. This building left its mark in the epic. Vakhushti Batonishvili wrote: "In the north of Bakurtsikhe at the foot of the mountain, there is your castle - strong and magnificent, and the Church of God with a dome. From the fortress of Tamar there is a path to another, no less remarkable fortress.
The Church of the Ascension is the center of the whole ensemble in the village of Vejini.
It is the center of religious celebrations of the Ascension, which attract the attention not only of pilgrims and locals but also tourists. The church got its second name, Ascension Church, in honor of this holiday.
It is a stone building without a dome, with carved windows and an altar inside.
Nearby there is a small prayer house, decorated with ornaments and crosses. The walls of the temple are picturesquely decorated, paintings date back to the XVI-XVII centuries. The eastern wall at the entrance draws attention with a fresco depicting a woman in a red cloak and a scroll with statutory inscriptions in her hand. It depicts a scene from the Divine Scriptures, more precisely the Nativity and the Annunciation.
On the vault of the temple, as if in the sky, the figure of the Mother of God with the child in her arms, surrounded by the Archangels, is depicted. The images below belong to the six holy Fathers, who hold in their hands scrolls with Greek inscriptions - excerpts of works. Inside the church is a tomb with two graves, presumably containing the deceased from Kvirike.
This is not all there is to see in Georgia, north of the Church of the Ascension is the Easter Church and a two-story bell tower. Experts believe that this bell tower is the oldest building in the entire Katekha, it dates back to the XV century. The bell is located on the second floor and from there you can get to the Easter Church by the stairs.
A few steps from the bell tower is the church of St. Mary. In the Middle Ages the church was connected to the observation tower by tunnels, unfortunately these passages are now filled in.
History
The sights of Georgia have centuries of history and the architectural complex in Vejini was no exception. The earliest mention of Vejini Castle dates back to the 10th century. In this period, Ereti and Kakheti were independent principalities. Ereti was ruled by Adarnase Patrick, while Kakheti was ruled by Kvirike I.
For Ereti the castle was the most important strategic point, if a fortress was conquered it was subordinated to Ereti. That is why Prince Kvirike I (893-918) decided to unite with Constantine, the king of Abkhazia, to reunite Ereti, and sent his troops with reinforcements to the castle of Verjni.
The siege lasted for a long time, until Adarnase Patrikios, the leader, declared a truce and then capitulated. A deal was struck, and in return the king of Abkhazia received Arishi and Gavasi and Kvirike received Orchobi. It was also pointed out that the fortress was the residence of the royal couple of Catechia Ags Artan I and Artan II.
At the end of the 11th century, the ruler George II decided to annex Catechis and Ereti, for which he allied himself with the Turks. A military campaign was planned through Vedgini. The result was that the castle became one of the important trading centers, a part of the caravan road leading to Tbilisi has survived to this day.
Proof of this are also the copper coins found during excavations in the surrounding area. These coins have been declared a monetary relic, the treasure of Vejini. It was possible to find out the age of this priceless treasure thanks to the Arabic engraving on the coins which reads: "Queen of queens, beauty of earth and faith, Tamar, daughter of George, worshipping the Messiah", the names of the rulers - Queen Tamar and David Soslani were given 1200 years ago.
In the XII century the heat of military operations at the fortress subsided, it is associated with the solution of internecine wars and the movement of the military front on the periphery. However, this does not mean that there was a lull in the Vejini Castle. Lezghins, Tatars, Mongols and many others passed through it since the 12th century. In the memory of ancestors, the image of the castle was enshrined as the embodiment of fear, as evidenced by the numerous records in the annals.
The history of Vejini was also distinguished by its tragic nature. From the epitaph of the tomb of Princes, scholars have learned that it was in Vedgini in 1782 the son of Herakles, Levanis, was killed. It happened when the great princes were in the service of the Russian tsar, feudal lords Abashidze, Andronikashvili, Shalikashvili, Vachnadze, because of their greed, started a plot against Levan Batoshvili.
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Photo source: agentika.com
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