Church of the Virgin Mary is a monument of ancient Georgian architecture on the mountainside. One of the most beautiful places in Georgia.

The Church of the Virgin Mary looks the way we are used to representing Georgia's most beautiful places - Georgian cathedrals. Moreover, it is one of the last examples of old Georgian domed churches and belongs to the "kupelkhale" style.

Location: region of Kakheti, Sagarejo municipality, 15 km east of the village of Manavi, on the hillside. This church is also surprising, because in spite of its age, history has preserved many facts about it.

Thus it is certainly known that it was founded by the abbot of the monastery David Gareji (complex of cave monasteries, located in 3 regions of Georgia), Archimandrite Eftime in 1794. His activity was very active here in the period from 1774 to 1798.

Of course, for such a long period of existence, the condition of the building required reconstruction, which took place in 2008. It is worth noting that for a church located far from large cities, it is neither large nor small. Area: 10,85 × 6,8 m. The shape of the building is elongated, in the eastern part there is a wide apse, the height of the building is lower than the main part, it can be semicircular, rectangular or any other shape.

The apse is connected with the main part of the building by a half dome (conch). This is where the altar is most often located. If you raise your head and look at the dome, we can see that the walls are built in such a way that under the dome a square is formed. And these walls are joined together by arches.

These interior details are what place the church in the little-known "kupelhale" style. As with most churches, there are two entrances: one on the south side and one on the west. Both are executed in the form of an arch.

If you pay attention to the external architectural details it becomes clear that the western entrance was considered to be a ceremonial one. It is decorated with the imitation of a high arch, with a cross in the center. It is remarkable also by the small quantity of windows, rather narrow.

So the main light falls on the windows of the dome, which creates a mysterious atmosphere of semi-darkness. If you are thinking about what to see in Georgia, this is one of the places worth seeing.

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Photo source georgiantravelguide.com