St Stephen's Church stands in the southeastern part of ancient Mtskheta, in the courtyard of the Antioki Monastery, 500 metres from Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, among the sights of the city. Worth clarifying upfront: "Antioki" in the church's name refers to a local place name, a street and monastery within Mtskheta itself, not the historical Syrian city of Antioch.
The church dates to the 4th-5th centuries, making it one of the oldest surviving church buildings in Georgia, built shortly after Christianity became the state religion of Iberia in the early 4th century. It's a long rectangular stone structure with an apse on the eastern side and a simple single-nave interior, an architectural type that became a prototype for many later Georgian churches.
Despite being close to Mtskheta's main tourist routes, the church remains quiet: residential blocks separate it from Svetitskhoveli, and most visitors walk past without noticing it. This makes it a good choice for anyone wanting to see early Christian Georgian architecture in a peaceful setting, away from crowds and tour groups.
