Not far from the Azerbaijani village of Darbazi in Bolnisi there is an old church built in honor of St. George.

St. George's Church is located in the north of Mtskheta. The terrain in these parts is truly picturesque and worthy of a separate mention: the Mtkvari River flows to the left of the church complex, the valley relief turns into a steep mountain ridge.

The first stone of the church was laid in the 12th century, at the same time the facades and internal walls of the building were painted.

Unfortunately, unable to resist the effects of time, some parts of the facade have become dilapidated. In 1975, restoration work was carried out by the local authorities.

You can get to St. George's Church by car, to do this, follow the Mtskheta-Shiomgvime highway and turn north from Mtskheta. Be careful at the end of the way, because the road turns into rubble, and in the rainy season it erodes so much that it will be quite difficult to drive.

The Kaloubani Church is quite small, it harmoniously fits into the natural landscape, and it is very beautiful here. Mountain slopes, forests with dense foliage, boundless sky, there is definitely something to see in Georgia.

The sights of Georgia are not always created by human hands. One unofficial attraction is a tree. Not far from the church, a tree grows almost without a base, it was damaged and divided in two, but the foliage on its crown also grows thickly. It fits seamlessly into the entire architectural ensemble of the monastery, it even seems to have become one of the irreplaceable parts.

Painting

The walls of the church were decorated with paintings in the 12th century. Painted frescoes depict scenes from Holy Scripture, festivals, and there are also many handwritten crosses. The central element of the fresco is the image of St. George on a white horse, next to the figures of saints and the Mother of God.

It is difficult to describe in words this masterpiece of ecclesiastical fine art, it is clear why many define the Church of St. George in the most beautiful places of Georgia. The painting is a monumental work, it captures an atmosphere of calm and reverence. Some scientists see elements of a decorative and dynamic style here, due to the different-scale distribution of figures in the composition. The color scheme is almost pastel, pale pink and blue colors are combined with red-brown, forming a contrast that attracts the viewer's eye to the central figures of the fresco.

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Photo: wikimedia.org