Makvaneti is one of those Gurian names that point directly to vegetation: the root makvali means blackberry, which these humid foothills indeed have in abundance. The prefix zemo, upper, indicates that a Kvemo Makvaneti lies lower down the slope.
The Marian church stands in the upper part of the village, south-west of Ozurgeti. A few dozen metres away is a naeklesiari, the site of a vanished church. Such proximity of a working church and the trace of an earlier one occurs throughout Georgia and usually means the new one was built beside the old rather than on its spot.
Mariamoba at the end of August is the main day of Marian churches. No dating has become attached to the building. Dress soberly, women bring a headscarf.
📜 Facts
- A Marian church of the village, with Mariamoba as its main day
- Zemo Makvaneti village south-west of Ozurgeti, Guria
- Makvaneti comes from makvali, blackberry
🚗 Getting there
- Landmark: south-west of Ozurgeti; approached by a village road into the foothills
- The Build Route button will show the exact way
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