Shiomgvime Monastery is an example of pre-feudal Georgian architecture, the time of construction is the second half of the 6th century.
According to legend, the founder of the Shiomgwime monastery was the monk Shio. One of the most ancient sights of Georgia was built in the 6th century. Nowadays, there is a whole monastery complex located here, which includes several other buildings.
The sights of Georgia are ancient religious buildings, medieval fortresses, monasteries and churches of old cities carved in the mountains and other architectural monuments that amaze with their splendor. Sooner or later, everyone will think about what to see in Georgia – the land of clean mountain air and famous Caucasian hospitality.
Shiomgwime belongs to one of the most impressive and powerful religious complexes of the country from the pre-feudal period. Location: Shido Kartli region, Mkhtseta municipality, 40 km from Tbilisi, on the left bank of the Mtkvari River.
The monastery was built in the second half of the 6th century, by one of the preacher monks, Shio. According to ancient legends, Shio devoted the rest of his life to living and praying in gloomy and deep caves, and after his death, according to his last will, he was buried in this place (hence the name "Shio Cave", "Shiomgwime"). The burial place of Shio Mgvimsky was considered a sacred place in Shiomgvim. This monastery was also considered the birthplace of Georgian culture and literature. If you want to see the most beautiful places in Georgia, you should definitely visit here.
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On the territory of the monastery complex, you can see a number of buildings, and the very first of them was the church of John the Baptist. From the point of view of architecture, this is a rather complex building, the entrance to which is possible only through the bell tower, and inside which there are several dark rooms. Once upon a time, tourists could see an iconostasis amazing in its beauty in this temple, now, unfortunately, it is no longer there.
Church of the Mother of God It was erected around 1100 on the initiative of David IV the Builder (the king of Georgia from the Bagration dynasty). At the moment it is the central temple of the monastery complex. Initially, the temple was crowned with a dome, but later during the attack of the Persian Shah Abbas (Abbas I the Great) in 1614, the temple was destroyed, and it was restored only half a century later, in 1678. The temple was restored already in a simplified form, like a basilica.
At the moment, the appearance of the temple is quite simple, it lacks any decorations and architectural excesses. We can say that it is as minimalistic as possible. Nevertheless, the temple is quite beautiful, inside there are frescoes and murals that have survived to this day.
In addition to these two main temples, the complex also has a number of outbuildings and a small church located on a high cliff.
It is an active monastery.
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