Small monastery complexes that are worth visiting. Martvili (Chkondidi).

After the establishment of the Diocese of Chkondida in the 10th century, the Martville Church became the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin. In 1104, David Agmashenebeli gave Archbishop Chkondidi the status of Prime Minister (mtsignobartukhutsi).

There was a scriptorium in the monastery. The manuscripts created here are kept in the National Center of Manuscripts of Georgia. The Martvil church is an early cross-domed structure and is similar to the Mtskheta Jvari. Turkish and Arab invasions caused significant damage to the church. Because of this, in the 10th century, the Abkhazian tsar George II (923-957) thoroughly reconstructed the church. A new dome drum was erected, new walls were added from the outside, and an eastern gate was added. On the instructions of the rulers of Odisha in the XVI-XVII centuries, the church was painted. To the north of the main temple on the fence is a miniature three-story cross-domed church "Chikovani", built of hewn stone. According to the chronicle "Kartlis tskhovreba" ("The Life of Georgia"), the King of Georgia Bagrat IV (1027-1072) was buried in the Martvil monastery.

In ancient times, Chkondidi was a hotbed of pagan and cult religion. On a high pillar stood a "pedestal" for religious objects - a huge oak. He personified the pagan prayer place of Capunia - the patron saint of fertility, fertility and family well-being, which the local population worshipped. The local priests, the Chkondars, sacrificed babies to him. It was where the oak tree stood that the first Christian church named after Andrew the First-Called, who preached Christianity in Samegrelo, was built.

In 2007, monastic life resumed in Martvili. A monastery named after him was founded. St. Andrew the Primordial and the convent. named after St. Nino.