The church is cut straight into the rock: a cave church with a dome hewn out of the stone rather than built of masonry. Veran Gareji is the name of one of the groups of cave communities on the Gareji ridge, and it should not be confused with the famous David Gareja, although both clusters lie in the same semi-desert.
All around is the Gareji steppe: dry hills, wormwood, rare dirt ruts and almost no dwellings at all. The nearest village, Udabno, lies about twelve kilometres to the north-east, and Sagarejo is more than thirty away. The state border runs south of the ridge.
There are no regular services here and the cave can be approached at any time. The last stretch runs off-road and becomes impassable after rain, so come in dry weather, in a capable vehicle and preferably not alone. Bring water and spare fuel: there are no petrol stations or shops nearby.
⛪ For pilgrims
- A cave church with a dome hewn from the rock rather than built of stone
- The Gareji semi-desert south-west of Udabno village
- Veran Gareji is a separate group of caves, not David Gareja
🚗 Getting there
- Landmark: Udabno village, Sagarejo municipality; more than thirty kilometres to Sagarejo
- A route is built with the Build Route button
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