⛪ Rural Shrines of Imereti: a Guide to the Region's Small Churches and Monasteries

Imereti is known for Gelati, Bagrati and the Katskhi pillar, but behind these three names stand dozens of other churches scattered across the region's villages. They rarely appear in standard tours, have no signage from the main road, and are often known only to the people who live nearby.

This guide brings the small churches and monasteries of Imereti together in one place, with coordinates, the nearest landmarks, and what little can be said about each site without guesswork. The full list of the region's churches, including its major monuments, is in the churches section of the Imereti catalogue.

⛪ Ilemi: a Village Church in the Zestafoni Area

The church at Ilemi stands about 9 km from Zestafoni, away from the region's main roads. The village itself sits among the gentle hills, walnut groves and hillside vineyards typical of this part of Imereti. The church, like most rural churches in the region, has no signage from the main road, and there are no confirmed details yet on when it was built, so we don't give specific dates here. A more detailed piece on Ilemi would need that information verified on the ground, with the local priest or through the diocese.

Imereti was historically its own kingdom with its own church tradition, and small parish churches like the one at Ilemi often hold their history not in documents but in the oral accounts of local residents. The easiest way to find it is to ask directions in the village itself: locals generally know exactly where the church stands, even when it doesn't appear on popular tourist maps.

The church at Ilemi is part of the full list of churches across the Imereti region, gathered in the catalogue's Imereti churches section.

🏰 Simoneti: a Women's Monastery Also Known as Shivta

Simoneti Monastery, an active women's convent about 9 km from Bagdati, is known in the region under two names: it appears both as Simoneti, after the nearest village, and as Shivta, an older local name for the same place. Both refer to the same active monastic complex.

The monastery sits away from the main roads, amid the hilly orchards and vineyards typical of central Imereti. As at most active women's monasteries in Georgia, the usual rules apply here: modest dress, a headscarf for women, and quiet on the grounds. There isn't yet enough documented history available to give specific founding dates or names, so we keep to what can be confirmed: the location, its status as an active convent, and the alternate name.

Among the small churches in this guide, Simoneti Monastery, alongside Ilemi, is the best known beyond its own village, and it pairs naturally with a trip to Bagdati when planning a route through western Imereti. The full catalogue of churches with coordinates is in the Imereti churches section.

🏛️ Vani Cathedral: the Cathedral Church in the Town Centre

Unlike most sites in this guide, scattered across villages, Vani Cathedral stands right in the town of Vani, in its historic centre. The Orthodox cathedral of Vani, sometimes simply called Vani Cathedral, serves as the district's cathedral church and remains an active parish with regular services.

Vani is known above all for its archaeological site, an ancient settlement and museum holding finds from the Bronze Age and early Antiquity, and the cathedral fits naturally into a visit alongside those sites. The walk from the town centre to the cathedral takes only a few minutes, which makes it one of the most accessible sites in this entire guide: no 4WD, no dirt roads, no need to ask locals for directions.

If you're planning a day trip through the small churches of western Imereti, Vani Cathedral makes a convenient starting point: within a 10 km radius stand several other small churches in the region, including Tamar in Salkhino, Dikhashkho, and the Sulori Church of the Annunciation. For more on the town and its sights, see the catalogue material on the Imereti region.

⛓️ Three Churches of St. George: Kveda-Chkepi, Isriti and a Third

Saint George, წმინდა გიორგი in Georgian, is one of the most venerated saints in Georgia, and it's no surprise that Imereti alone has several churches dedicated to him. Three of them appear in this guide, all in the area around Vani and Samtredia.

St. George's Church in Kveda-Chkepi, about 16 km from Vani, is sometimes called simply the St. George church of Chkepi, after the nearby village. It's one of those churches that's genuinely hard to find without exact coordinates: the approach runs through rural land, and the only reliable way to avoid getting lost is to mark the point on an offline map beforehand.

St. George's Church in Isriti, about 6 km from Vani, sits closer to town and fits naturally into a route through the Vani cluster of churches alongside Dikhashkho and the Sulori Church. The third St. George church lies about 10 km from Samtredia, noticeably further from the other sites in this guide, and works best in a route through Samtredia rather than Vani.

Little is known about the construction history of any of the three: there are no confirmed dates, architects, or patrons in available sources, so here we stick to what can be verified, their location and dedication.

🕊️ Tabakini and Dikhashkho: Two Churches Between Vani and Zestafoni

Tabakini, about 7 km from Zestafoni, is sometimes referred to locally as Tabakini Monastery, though its exact status, monastery or parish church, needs confirming on the ground. The church sits off the main road, amid the hills and small farms typical of eastern Imereti.

The Church of Peter and Paul in Dikhashkho, about 6 km from Vani, is dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul and forms part of the tight cluster of small churches around Vani, alongside Vani Cathedral, the Sulori Church and St. George's in Isriti. That proximity makes it easy to fold Dikhashkho into a single day with the other sites in this part of the guide, rather than visiting it as a separate trip.

🌾 Tamar in Salkhino: a Church Dedicated to the Queen, Near Vani

The Church of Holy Queen Tamar in Salkhino sits about 4 km from Vani and is dedicated to Queen Tamar, one of the most venerated rulers of medieval Georgia, under whom the country went through a period of political and cultural flourishing. One important note: the village of Salkhino in Imereti, where this church stands, should not be confused with a different, better-known village of the same name in Samegrelo, home to the Dadiani summer residence. These are two separate places in two different regions of Georgia that are easy to mix up because of the identical name.

The Imeretian church of Tamar in Salkhino, thanks to its closeness to Vani, fits naturally into a route through the western part of the region alongside Vani Cathedral, Dikhashkho and St. George's in Isriti.

📍 Five More Churches: Devadze, Tskaltashua, Chkhari, Sulori and Okono

The remaining sites in this guide lie in different parts of Imereti and don't yet have a documented history to draw on, which doesn't diminish their significance as active rural churches, it simply means a fuller account of each is still to be written.

The church at Devadze stands about 8 km from Bagdati, in the same part of the region as Simoneti Monastery. The church at Tskaltashua, about 13 km from Bagdati, sits somewhat apart from the main routes and suits travellers willing to go a little further for quiet and seclusion. Spaso-Voskresenskaya Church in Chkhari lies about 7 km from Terjola, in the north-eastern part of the region.

The Sulori Church of the Annunciation, dedicated to the feast of the Annunciation, stands about 9 km from Vani and belongs to the same tight cluster of small churches as Dikhashkho and St. George's in Isriti. The Church of the Virgin in Okono, about 7 km from Sachkhere, sits in the historic Argveti area, known for the 1659 battle in which Georgian forces under the king of Imereti defeated a large Ottoman detachment, an episode still present in local historical memory.

⛰️ Tskhradzhvari: the Mountain of Nine Crosses Nearby

Worth a separate mention is Tskhradzhvari, the mountain with nine crosses near Tkibuli, one of the most recognisable natural and pilgrimage sites in all of Imereti. It isn't a small rural church but a major standalone site, with its own dedicated article on the site, its own ascent route and history. If you're touring the small churches of the region, particularly its eastern part, Tskhradzhvari can easily be folded into the same trip.

Have you visited the small churches of Imereti? Leave a review: tell us which one you reached, whether the road was easy to find, and what you saw there. Your experience is especially valuable for the sites that are still little known.

Information is current as of June 2026. Opening hours and access to some rural churches may change, check locally before you go.

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