See the most unusual sights in Georgia. Monuments carved in the rock in the monastery of Vardzia.

The dwellings carved into the rocks or the use of caves already existing there had a long tradition in Georgia. Cave dwellings with secret shelters and passageways had two meanings: for secular and religious purposes. There are cave monuments in many places throughout Georgia. There are especially many caves carved into the rocks in the south of Georgia.

The largest and largest of them is the monastery complex Vardzia, which is located in the upper reaches of the Kura River, 30 kilometers from Aspinze and hypsometrically located at an altitude of 1300 - 1462 m above sea level. The construction of the cave complex took place in 1156-1203 during the reign of George III and Queen Tamara and under their leadership. On the wall of the rock, whose height exceeds 500 meters, hundreds of stingrays are carved (according to legend - 365). They are located on 13 floors and are interconnected by passageways. In addition to the ramps, there are also many rooms for various purposes; a refectory, a closet and a pantry, a wine cellar, a hospital, a bakery, a blacksmith shop, etc. Most of the ramps are two-room, although there are three- and four-room ramps. There are 15 churches in the complex, the largest of them is the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the north wall of which there are frescoes with portraits of George III and Queen Tamara. This is the earliest image of Queen Tamara that has survived to our time.

In 1551 , the Persian troops defeated and destroyed Vardzia. In 1578, when this region was captured by the Ottomans, the monastery was deserted. After the Russian-Turkish War (1828-1829), Vardzia, like most of Southern Georgia, returned to Georgia.

Since 2007 , the monastery complex Vardzia It is included in the preliminary list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Monuments.

A walk through the ancient rocks and cave cities will forever remain in your memory. Incredible emotions, complete unity with the past and immersion in history are guaranteed to every tourist in these places!

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Another monument of Vacancy (Vani) kvabebi (Vakhani boilers), carved in the rocks, is located near Vardzia, 27 kilometers from Aspindzi, on the upper reaches of the Kura River. Cave dwellings here are located on 16 floors of a steep slope. The history of the monument covers a fairly long period of time. Created in the era of hermits (VIII-XVI centuries), the complex at the turn of the XII-XIII centuries was a royal monastery, then it became the property of the Tmogveli family, then became the abode of the rulers of the region Samtskhe.

The complex includes dwellings for household and household purposes, burial chapels, crypts, shelter, passageways, 6 churches and a fence made of lime stone.

On the transverse cleft of the last floor of the cave complex there is a miniature domed church of St. George, half built into the rock, which looks like a white pearl against the background of gray rocks from afar. In the center of the complex there is also a portal and a bell tower, the gates of which are decorated with carved patterns. There is a cave-tomb under the portal. During archaeological excavations, a cellar with six large wine jugs, a workshop for the manufacture of ceramic dishes, a pressure press carved into the rock and a reservoir were also discovered here.

Of particular note are the epigraphic monuments preserved in the complex. On the walls of the church of St. George there are inscriptions dating back to the second half of the XV century and made in the ancient Georgian alphabet "Mkhedruli", which were made by women hiding here. These ancient samples of handwritten text contain excerpts from Georgian lyrical poetry, as well as quotes from the poems "Knight in Tiger Skin" and "Rostomiani".

There are several more cave monuments carved in the rocks on the territory of Javakheti: Tavkvetula, Oloda, Gulsunda, Samsari. Most of them have not yet been investigated by historians.