⛪ The Small Church of the Virgin in Bakuriani: A Working Parish in the Forest, Not a Sight
If you are planning a ceremony
Most people looking for this church are not coming to see it but to have a child baptised or to be married. Here is what to settle in advance.
And on season: in winter Bakuriani fills with skiers, the roads are busy and the daylight short. Summer and early autumn suit ceremonies better.
The Church of the Virgin stands among trees in Bakuriani, away from the lifts and the pistes. The building is small, and Georgian local sources record it as exactly that: ღვთისმშობლის მცირე ეკლესია, the small church of the Virgin.
Yet of all the religious sites in the resort it is the one people search for most, noticeably more than the cathedral or the medieval basilica. The reason is probably not tourism.
💒 Why people actually come here
The church is in use, and ceremonies are held in it: baptisms and weddings.
That explains its place in search. Nobody looks up a small church in a forest, where children are christened and couples married, for its architecture. It is looked up by people planning a particular day in their own lives.
For that purpose the setting has obvious merits. It is quiet, it stands among pines, and there are neither crowds nor pistes around it. The grounds look out onto the mountains. For a family ceremony that beats a large cathedral in the middle of the resort.
The drawback is equally plain: the church is small, and a large wedding simply will not fit inside.
The practicalities are simple. Dates and terms are agreed with the parish priest, in advance and in person. There is no online booking here, as in most Georgian village churches.
📜 What is known and what is not
I will be direct about this, because a great deal has been written about this church online and none of it contains a fact.
The year of construction is unknown. It does not appear in open sources: not in Georgian Wikipedia, not in local reference works, not in eparchy descriptions.
Nor is the architect's name. Nor the history of the parish, nor any record of rebuilding, nor whether the church is old or recent.
What can be confirmed: the church exists, is dedicated to the Virgin, is in use, stands in Bakuriani and is listed locally as the small one.
That is the normal situation for small Georgian parish churches that are not monuments of national significance. Reference works do not describe them, no specialist literature has appeared, and eparchy archives are not digitised.
If you know more, tell us in a review. For a site like this, an account from someone local is worth more than any guidebook.
⛪ Three churches in the resort: which for what
Besides the Church of the Virgin, Bakuriani has two other notable churches, and they work quite differently.
The Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, the resort's principal church by status and scale. A modern building that holds a large congregation.
The Basilica of St George, a monument of medieval Georgia. A basilica is the oldest type of Christian church: a rectangular building with aisles and no dome, like the fifth-century Bolnisi Sioni, the oldest surviving church in the country.
Beyond these, the resort has a Church of St Elijah, and on the hill by the children's sanatorium a medieval Church of the Holy Trinity.
Which one to go to, and why
The three churches serve different purposes, and the choice should follow the purpose rather than the size.
🚶 All three are within the resort and can be walked in an hour. So the choice is not final: nothing stops you seeing the others.
🌲 What surrounds the church
Bakuriani lies at 1,700 metres on the northern slope of the Trialeti range, by the Bakurianistskali river. Conifer forest surrounds the resort, and the church stands inside that forest rather than in the open.
Hence the impression visitors most often mention: the quiet. In a resort where the lifts run all winter and music plays on the pistes, a place like that is not easy to find.
In spring the pines come into flower, and in that season people come to Bakuriani for their health rather than for skiing. For a visit to the church it is probably the best time: few people, resinous air, empty roads.
The church stands among trees and is not immediately visible from the road. Navigate by the point rather than by the silhouette.
🚗 Getting there
From Borjomi, about half an hour up the gorge, some thirty kilometres. Marshrutkas run regularly.
From Tbilisi, around three hours through Gori, Khashuri and Borjomi.
The Borjomi to Bakuriani narrow-gauge railway follows the gorge and crosses the Tsemistskali on the Eiffel bridge. Slow as transport, worthwhile as a ride for the views.
Everything in the resort is walkable. The map point and reviews are on the Church of the Virgin Mary in Bakuriani page, and the other sites in the things to see in Bakuriani section.
🧭 What else there is in Bakuriani
Since you are in the resort anyway, here is what else is worth attention.
The grave of Nodar Kumaritashvili, a place of remembrance for the Georgian luger who died at the Vancouver Olympics.
The abandoned K-115 ski jump, a Soviet sports structure that has become a subject for photographers.
The wooden suspension bridge in the forest and the Forest Park, if you want to carry on walking under the pines.
With children, the Children's Park and the ice rink.
🗣️ Over to you
Been to the Church of the Virgin in Bakuriani? Tell us what you saw inside, whether you know the date of construction and whether you held a ceremony here. Leave a review on Madloba: there is almost nothing on record about this church, and your account will be more useful than any source.
Information is current as of August 2026. Service times and the arrangements for ceremonies should be confirmed with the parish.
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❓Frequently Asked Questions
💬 In the resort of Bakuriani, Borjomi Municipality, Samtskhe-Javakheti, among trees and away from the pistes and lifts. It is not immediately visible from the r
💬 Yes, the church is in use and ceremonies take place in it. Dates and terms are agreed with the parish priest in person and in advance; there is no online booking.
💬 The year does not appear in open sources, nor does the architect's name. That is the normal situation for small Georgian parish churches not classed as monuments of national significance.
💬 Small; Georgian sources record it as 'the small church of the Virgin'. It will not suit a large ceremony with many guests.
💬 The Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, large and modern, and the Basilica of St George, a monument of medieval Georgia. There is also a Church of St Elijah and a medieval Church of the Holy Trinity on the hill by the children's sanatorium.
💬 In its quiet and its position: the church stands inside pine forest rather than in the centre. In a resort where the lifts run and music plays on the pistes all winter, that is a noticeable difference.
💬 Spring, when the pines flower and people come to Bakuriani for their health rather than for skiing, or early autumn. In winter the resort is full, the roads busy and the daylight short.
💬 About half an hour from Borjomi, some thirty kilometres up the gorge, with regular marshrutkas. From Tbilisi it is around three hours through Gori, Khashuri and Borjomi.
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