Beautiful churches in Georgia. Uplistsikhe and Kintsvisi.

The city has streets, squares, drainage channels, various buildings, four pairs of gates, a secret tunnel leading to the Kura, a fence, etc. Currently Uplistsikhe is an open-air museum city.

In the X-VI centuries BC Uplistsikhe was the fortress of the leader of the tribe that dominated in Shida Kartli. It was at this time that the city received the name "Uplis", that is, the lord's", "tsikhe" - "fortress". According to legend, Uplistsikhe was built by slaves. Slaves were given a pickaxe, the front part of which was covered with plain iron, and gold was contained inside. If a slave worked so hard that the iron on the pickaxe was erased, then in return he received freedom and precious metal from the pickaxe. Archaeological materials show that people lived here in the XVI-XV centuries BC From the IV century to the III century BC. Uplistsikhe was a religious and administrative center. After the declaration of Christianity as the state religion of Georgia (the 20s of the IV century), the urban life of Uplistsikhe declined, but it remains a powerful fortress. In the X-XIII centuries. Uplistsikhe was a thriving fortress city, its population reached 20,000 people. As a result of the Mongol invasions, the population in Uplistsikhe gradually decreased.

In the settlement, the halls of the ancient period, the theater of the II century, carved in the rock, have been preserved. In the central part of the city, a three-nave basilica (II half of the VI century) is carved into the rock. In the courtyard of the church there are qvevri (large jars for storing wine) for donations. When a child was born in the family, the kvevri was filled with wine, and when the child turned 16, the kvevri was taken to the church and left there. It was also possible to get into the city by a secret passage 41 meters long, which was carved into the rock. It was through him that the city was supplied with water and food during the enemy siege.

Kintsvisi Monastery is located in the Karelian district, 3 kilometers from the village of Kintsvisi, on one of the hills of the Dzama River valley. The monastery complex consists of the churches of St. Nicholas, Our Lady, St. George, the ruins of the fence, on which a two-story bell tower is built. The monastery was founded at the turn of the XII-XIII centuries. by decree of the court nobility.

The main structure of the complex is the central domed Church of St. Nicholas. The painting of Kintsvisi, made at the beginning of the XIII century by order of the first minister (mtsignobartukhutsi) Anton Glonistavisdze, is unique. There are portraits of the ktitors (on the north wall) - George III, Tamara, Lasha-George, as well as zaza Tsitsishvili-Panaskerteli. Anton Glonista visdze is depicted on the south wall with a model of the temple in his hands, as well as religious scenes. The western wall depicts St. Nicholas, John of Zedazensky and David of Gareja.

The Church of Our Lady of the XII-XIII centuries is located on the bank of the Dzama River, on the slope. The temple is currently in critical condition. In the Late Middle Ages (XVI-XVIII centuries), a small church of the hall type was built. St. George. This church is located at the western wall of the Church of St. Nicholas.