This is a monastic complex rather than a parish church: several buildings gather under one name. The community is dedicated to John the Baptist and is known as the Kalauri one, although it stands on the lands between Kalauri and neighbouring Shashiani, where the two villages meet.
The setting is flat, among the vineyards of the Alazani valley north of Gurjaani. A fairly dense neighbourhood of sanctuaries lies around: six hundred metres away stands the Unagverda church, a kilometre off the Kalauri churches of the Archangels, Saint Nino and Samqinauri, and four kilometres to the east the Trinity church of Shashiani.
The community is active and the rules here are stricter than in a village church: covered shoulders and knees, a headscarf for women, quiet in the yard and inside. Photographing the brethren is not done. The way in from the asphalt is short but unpaved, and after rain it is better walked.
โช For pilgrims
- A working monastery of John the Baptist, a monastic complex
- The lands between Kalauri and Shashiani, Alazani plain north of Gurjaani
- The Unagverda church stands six hundred metres away, three Kalauri churches a kilometre off
๐ Getting there
- Landmark: Kalauri village, Gurjaani municipality; about seventeen kilometres to Gurjaani
- The Build Route button will show the exact way
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