A village church known by the name of its village. To whom it is dedicated has not survived, so it is simply called the Javakhi church. The village name echoes the ethnonym Javakhi and the name of Javakheti, a historical province in southern Georgia, but no one draws a direct link between them: it is rather an echo of old resettlements.
Javakhi lies in the Dmanisi hills less than a kilometre from Gantiadi, and the churches of the two villages effectively face each other across a gully. Within a few kilometres stand the churches of Tnusi and Kakliani, so the whole area can be covered in one trip. The century of building is unknown.
The yard is open and you can look in almost any time. In summer the morning is the better hour: the hills are exposed to the sun and there is almost no shade. Dress modestly, women wear a headscarf.
💡 Tip
- A village church known by the village name, its dedication not surviving
- The Dmanisi hills, with Gantiadi less than a kilometre away
- The name echoes the ethnonym Javakhi and the province of Javakheti
🚗 Getting there
- Landmark - the village of Javakhi north-east of Dmanisi, next to Gantiadi
- For navigation tap Build Route
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