Gremi stands on a hilltop above the Alazani Valley in Kvareli Municipality, 20 km from Telavi. The fortress is the only survivor of what was once the capital of the Kingdom of Kakheti: a city of over 100,000 people and a key stop on the Great Silk Road. Shah Abbas I of Persia destroyed it in 1615; only the citadel and church on the summit escaped.
The main building is the Church of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel (1565), a cross-domed structure whose interior walls carry frescoes from 1577 and later portraits of the Kakhetian kings. The tomb of King Levan, under whom Gremi flourished, is to the right of the entrance. Photography inside the church is permitted. Beside the church stands a three-storey palace bell tower housing the museum, with royal documents, weapons and a crown from King Levan's era; the top floor offers panoramic views of the valley. The courtyard also contains a marani with kvevri and the ruins of an underground tunnel to the river. By the road below, a large portrait commemorates the martyr Queen Ketevan.
Entry to the grounds and the church is free. The museum opens Tuesday-Sunday 10:00-18:00 and is closed Mondays. Standard dress code applies: headscarf and long skirt for women, long trousers for men.
Gremi is 7 km from Nekresi Monastery and pairs well with it for a northern Kakheti day trip. All churches and monasteries in Kakheti are in the Madloba catalogue. For the museum exhibits, see the Gremi-Nekresi Museum Reserve card.
The Kvareli district route covering Gremi, Nekresi and other sites is part of the Churches and Monasteries of Kakheti guide.
