Remote temples worth visiting in Georgia. Bolnisi Sioni and Tsugrugasheni.

This temple is distinguished by its architecture and ornaments. A construction inscription is carved on the tympanum of the southern entrance to the temple, in which it is noted that the cathedral was built in 479-494. This inscription is also the oldest example of writing discovered on the territory of Georgia. According to the inscription, the temple was built by the first bishop of Bolnis, David, during the reign of King Vakhtang Gorgasali (457-491). The bell tower at the temple was erected in the XVII century.

TempleTsugrugasheni It is located in the historical Kvemo Kartli, on the right side of the vast valley of the Foladauri River, two kilometers from Bolnisi Sioni, on the right bank of the Bolnisistskali River, on the slope of the mountain. The inscriptions of the temple of the XIII century mention George IV Lasha (1210-1223) and the builder of the church Hassan, the son of Arseny. By design, Tsugrugasheni is similar to the temple of Bethany, but smaller in size, and the drum of the dome is higher.

The building from the outside, from east to west, is placed in an elongated rectangle. The inner space contains 4 arms of the subcrest, of which only the eastern arm ends with an apse. On both sides of the altar there are two-storey utility rooms, in the lower parts of which there are an altar and a sacristy (deaconess). On the north side of the temple there is an extension of a later period, most likely serving as a prayer house or tomb.

During the construction of the temple, multicolored stones were used with special grace: golden yellow, dark purple and blue. This architectural monument is richly decorated with carved ornaments.