The feudal citadel in the village of Ananuri, on the territory of which you can see not only the fortress walls, but also temples, restored household buildings.

History.

Ananuri Castle Complex He is considered one of the most impressive representatives of the history of the late feudal period. This land has been inhabited since ancient times. However, practically no traces of early buildings have been found. The key citadel of Aragvi Eristavi was located here. His political influence in the country increased after the weakening of the government at that time in the XVII-XVIII centuries. It was the residence of the Eristavstvo of Aragvi.

During the same periods, the reconstruction and improvement of the Ananuri Castle takes place. The Eristavi of this fortress were: the most famous - Prince Zurab, then his brothers David and Zaal, after - their nephew Otar, who in collusion with Edisher organized the murder of Zaal. Zaal's grave is located in the fortress, in the church of the Virgin, and if the fortress is open, then you can look at this place. After that, uncertainty begins in the sequence of eristavi of this fortress and opinions on this issue do not come to a common variant.

The oldest of the constructed structures of the complex is the Khevsureti watchtower, located in the very center of the main part of the fortress. Its construction dates back to the XIV century. Zedatsikhe (the main fortress) was created in the XVI-XVII centuries, and Kvedatsikhe - a little later, in the XVIII century and for almost 200 years was the northern outpost of Transcaucasia, meeting everyone who came out of the Daryal gorge.

Until 1720, history was silent about the life of the inhabitants of the fortress. It is only known that the citadel has always been the protection of the central province and, in case of an attack by opponents, protected the inhabitants while they were hiding in the mountains. The most significant building and information about it - the construction of the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos is reflected on the left side of the facade, with an impressive inscription, which says that the construction of the temple was ordered by Bardzim Mdivanbegi Kayhorso, in 1689. In the XVI - late XVII the western part of the main fortress and the Temple of God were rebuilt. There is also a sign with an inscription that reads: “This dome (Salkhinobeli) was erected by the heiress Anna-Khanum Abashidze, the untimely deceased deacon of all Georgia Edisher Eristvisshvili.”

In 1743, by order of the Lord Teymuraz II, the eristavstvo was abolished, and all property was transferred to the crown. In 1795, in connection with the attack of the Persians, the inhabitants of Tbilisi were saved in the city of Ananuri, as Athanasius of Ararat reports in his book about life: “The elderly and minors of both sexes and all conditions, flocking to Ananur in huge numbers, spending day and night under the open sky in inclement weather, do not having neither clothes nor food, they mourned their own fate and the lot of their families and family members. The father lost his son, the offspring did not know what followed with his father; mothers lost their daughters, and the daughters of mothers, the spouses of wives, and the spouses of spouses, and from all sides filled the air with screams. Having learned that the Lord Heraclius is located here in Ananuri, I ventured to find him unconditionally.”

Without exaggeration, the citadel plays a huge role at the beginning of the XIX century. At that time, Georgia was undergoing a merger with Russia, and against this background, a Russian military unit was on permanent duty in the fortress. Its task was to protect the route between Georgia and Russia, which it coped with perfectly. In the atmosphere of the Ananuri fortress, thoughts of creating a military city on its basis were floating, but it never came to realization.

Later, the Russian military left the fortress and it came to an abandoned state. On the territory of the fortress you can see the preserved pyramid tower, which was here before the fortress, the crypt of the once influential Eristavs, the Church of the Assumption, and you can also trace the remains of a bath and a swimming pool. A single-nave Mkurnali church with a bell tower remained at the bottom of the fortress.

In 1829, the first documented Russian tourist in these territories arrived in Ananuri. He walked from Pasanauri to Ananuri, and then to Dusheti in one day. And this tourist was Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. In 1885, the fortress of Ananuri found its place in Levitan's painting. Such a rich history adds this monument to sights of Georgia, which are worth watching.