Medieval Georgian monasteries. Visit the Sapara Monastery.
Sapara is a medieval monastery complex. The complex is a dense group, as there is very little space. On the edge of the slope stands the cathedral. The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is the architectural dominant in the ensemble, is the oldest of all structures. There are also many buildings of ancient structures on the territory of the complex.
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From the XIII century the monastery Sapara It is one of the residences of the Dzhakeli family – rulers of Samtskhe (historical region of Georgia). Not far from the cathedral, on the slope of the mountain, the fortress of Dzhakeli and fragments of a large fence have been preserved to this day, and on the southern wall of the fence of St. Saba there are portraits of family members of this kind (XIII-XIV centuries).
To the southeast of Akhaltsikhe, on the tenth kilometer of the highway, in the depths of the valley is Sapara - medieval monastery. The buildings of the monastery complex are located on narrow terraces, on the slopes of the mountain. Due to lack of space, the buildings are gathered in a dense group in the center: on the edge of a steep slope there is a large cathedral named after Saba the Consecrated, to which the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary adjoins on the south side.
A small chapel of St. Dmitry is attached to the south side of the great cathedral and to the corner of the eastern facade of the Assumption Church. A little further from these buildings there is a small church of St. George. At the very edge of the slope there are two more temples - the chapel of St. John (in the northeast) and the one-nave church of St. Stephen (at the entrance to the monastery). There are many buildings and fragments of ancient structures on the territory of the monastery. A fortress rises above the complex, under which the ruins of the house of Jakeli are located.
The one-nave aspid Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the oldest of all the buildings of the monastery (X century). The church had an iconostasis decorated with a sculptural composition of the XI century. Currently, fragments of this composition are stored in Tbilisi, in the Museum of Art.
The Cathedral of the Consecrated Saba (XIII-XVI centuries) is an architectural dominant in the monastic ensemble Erected according to a traditional design, the cathedral is distinguished by novelty in terms of proportions of construction, in interior design, in the system of windows and decorative elements of the facade. It should be noted that the cathedral, installed on a special substructure, has not had a single crack to our time. The cathedral is a significant monument of monumental painting — the walls, arches and dome are completely covered with frescoes and inscriptions.
Read more about cathedrals and temples in Georgia on the pages of the Madloba catalog. We share our own observations, tell you in detail about all the sights and help you plan the perfect route for your trip.
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