New Shuamta is an active Orthodox nunnery on the forested slopes of Tsivgombori Mountain, 10 km east of Telavi. It was founded in the 1540s by Queen Tinatin Gurieli, wife of Kakhetian King Levan II. According to tradition, Tinatin dreamed of the location before the monastery was built; when the royal party stopped to rest in Shuamta and she saw dogwood trees in bloom — exactly as in the dream — she vowed to build a church there. She later became a nun and was buried inside the cathedral she founded.
The main structure is the cross-domed Cathedral of the Virgin Mary, built of red brick and cobblestone with pointed-arch niches, large decorative crosses and turquoise tile accents on the façade. The interior holds 16th-century frescoes and ktetor portraits of Tinatin, King Levan II and their son — rare surviving royal portraits of the Kakhetian period. Photography inside the cathedral is not permitted. Dress code is strict: women need a headscarf and long skirt; men must wear full-length trousers.
Entry is free. Old Shuamta (Dzveli Shuamta) is 2 km further along the same forest road: three 5th-7th century stone churches in an abandoned monastery — an entirely different atmosphere. Both are easy to cover in one visit. All churches and monasteries in Kakheti are in the Madloba catalogue. For the older complex: Old Shuamta (Dzveli Shuamta).
Shuamta together with the other monasteries of the Telavi district, with routes, is in the Churches and Monasteries of Kakheti guide.
