The church is dedicated to Longinoz the Centurion, whom church tradition names as the Roman soldier at the Cross who came to believe after the crucifixion. Few churches in Georgia bear his name, and this is one of them.
Vartsikhe lies south-east of Kutaisi, by the Rioni. The village is old and rich in shrines: there is the Vartsikhe church, the White church, the church of the Nativity of John the Baptist and the Dormition church, so this one is its fifth.
There are no regular services, and visits are arranged with local people. The village is alive, the roads between its parts are short, and all five shrines can be walked in half a day.
📜 Of interest
- A church dedicated to Longinoz the Centurion
- A dedication rare for Georgian villages
- One of the shrines of the old village of Vartsikhe by the Rioni
🚗 Getting there
- Landmark - Vartsikhe village, Baghdati Municipality, Imereti; about twenty kilometres to Kutaisi
- The Build Route button will take you to the spot
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