Zeda-Vardzia, or Upper Vardzia, is located approximately three kilometers northwest of the cave town of Vardzia, in the Aspindza Municipality. It is home to the 11th-century Church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a functioning convent of the Akhaltsikhe and Tao-Klarjeti Diocese. At first, the monastic community lived here, but under Giorgi III (1156-1184), they moved to the new Vardzia rock complex. After the Ottoman conquest of Samtskhe in the 16th century, the monastery became deserted. Marie Brosse described the church in 1847-1848, and Dimitri Bakradze described it in 1875 as a cattle stable. The building was restored in 1975-1978. The monastery is residential, and visitors are not always allowed inside: some visitors only view the complex from the outside.
🕍 What to see
The 11th-century Church of the Dormition, monastery gardens and terraces, old cells carved into the rock above, and a view of the Kura Valley.
💰 Free or paid
Admission is free.
