Sights in Georgia. Visit Gremi and Nekresi.

During the XVI century, Kakheti, in comparison with other parts of Georgia, was rich and developed. The military and administrative reforms carried out by the Kakhetian tsar, the peace achieved and the strength of the central government determined the economic growth of the Kakhetian kingdom. This was also facilitated by the proximity of Kakheti to the trade routes of the eastern Transcaucasia. Gilan-Shemakha-Astrakhan Silk Road for the feudal economy of Kakheti has been a convenient factor for foreign trade since ancient times. Peasants expelled from different parts of Georgia took refuge in Kakheti and settled there. New cities appeared in Kakheti, which were active centers of trade and crafts.

One of these cities was Gremi, the throne city of a rich and successful kingdom. In the XVI century, a large construction was launched in Kakheti. Palaces, trading houses, fortresses, churches and monasteries, educational institutions were built, restoration of ancient structures was carried out. Agriculture was well developed. Kakheti was the main center of winemaking. In 1672-1673, the famous French jeweler and merchant Chardin traveled to Georgia. He noted that nowhere is there such a good wine and in such abundance! Silk was also produced in Kakheti, wheat, barley, oats, peas and rice were sown.

In the center of Gremi, on a hill, stands the Church of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, built in 1565 by Tsar Levan. Next to the church there is a royal chamber built a century before with a bell tower. On the western slope stands the chapel of St.St. George with a tower, and above on Mount Sameba - the round chapel of the Holy Trinity.

In 1614 - 1616, as a result of several brutal attacks by the Persian Shah Abbas I, the economic growth of Kakheti was interrupted. The flourishing country and with it the beautiful capital of Gremi turned into ruins. In 1672, Gremi, as the royal see of the city, ceased functioning.

In 1999, a monastery was restored in Gremi. And in 2009, with the blessing of the Catholicos - Patriarch of Georgia Ilia I, the seminary named after Abibo Nekreski was opened.

A few kilometers from Gremi, on a high hill in Nekresi, stands one of the oldest Georgian churches. Nekresi is one of the most striking places in Georgia. A small basilica dating from the IV century towers over the Alazani Valley of Kakheti. Touching the walls of this basilica is a touch to the centuries-old history of Georgia. Touching the walls of the basilica and fixing your gaze on the Alazani Valley, you feel an incredible excitement in your soul that you were lucky enough to be here, in such a holy place, to touch these walls, which met the next century, proudly and confidently towering over the beautiful valley and the Caucasian snow-covered ridge visible in the distance

There is an active monastery in Nekresi. The oldest inscriptions that have been discovered here date back to the time of the earliest Georgian writing. In the VI century, one of the Assyrian fathers, Abibos, lived in this monastery, who was later tortured by the Persians. A century later, a three-nave basilica was built here, perhaps the most beautiful of all such Georgian churches. In VIII, the bishop's palace and the cruciform church were erected.

The beauty of these places is incomparable with anything! And not far from Gremi is the town of kvareli - the birthplace of the famous Georgian wine Kindzmarauli.