Chichkhituri Monastery: Davit Gareja Cave Complex

There's no such thing as too much traveling, so every year we compile a new list of places we'd like to visit.

So, Chichkhituri Monastery can confidently be added to our list of things to see in Georgia.

And although very little information about this place has been preserved in chronicles and scholarly literature, it's safe to say that it's part of the David Gareji cave monastery complex, one of the country's most important religious centers.

So, if you have a rich imagination, you can easily imagine a ton of fascinating stories about how the first monks arrived here, the intrigues woven among them, and where they eventually disappeared to.

The only available information about the monastery comes to us thanks to Vakhushti Batonishvili, who described the geography of Georgia.

In his work, he talks about four monasteries. Two of them, Davitarej, or David's Lavra in translation, and Baptist, house an archimandrite, while the remaining two, Chichkhituri and Bertubani, house a leader.

Inside the monastery itself, there's plenty to see. At the very least, the fresco paintings (paintings on wet plaster) have been preserved. Apparently, the quality of the materials chosen for the decoration was very high.

Currently, the monastery's ownership is unstable, as this issue is disputed between Georgia and Azerbaijan.

But let's put politics aside; this place was not created for debate.

Georgia's landmarks, at least many of them, are closely connected to the natural surroundings, practically merging.

For example, the monastery tower is located on a mountaintop, offering excellent views. Coming here, you inevitably begin to understand the freedom-loving nature of the mountain peoples. When you're surrounded by a boundless horizon, silence, nature, and only the wind rustling over the peaks, a feeling of lightness, almost weightlessness, pierces you like lightning.

So, if you want to experience this for yourself, don't forget that Georgia's most beautiful places may be hidden where you least expect them. And we'd be happy to share our discoveries with you.

Read also

• Shiomgvime: David the Builder’s Monastic Complex
• Kvakhvreli: Cave Complex — History, Route