The church of Saint George belongs to the Bredzi complex and stands inside its fortress, near Satsikhuri village in Kareli Municipality. Sources place the church in the 10th century and lists it as a cultural heritage monument.
The hall is laid of finely worked ashlars of dark maroon basalt. The main entrance is wide and tall, on the south, and there are also a west entrance, semicircular inside and with an architrave outside, and a north one. The semicircular apse is raised by one step, with one window on its axis, another on the west and two on the south, and a two part triumphal arch joins the conch to the hall.
The long walls and the vault are divided by three pairs of pilasters carrying arches thrown across them: the massive two stepped pilasters cut deep into the space of the hall and form deep niches. A broad cross is carved on the stone of the west architrave with a rosette on either side, though the carving is damaged and smeared with mortar. The church was restored in the 19th century: the south entrance was widened, lintels of yellowish hewn stone were fitted, a stone arch was built for the door, the upper facades were repaired and the roof was tiled on timber beams.
๐ก Tip
- Masonry of dark maroon basalt, a rare colour for a church
- A two part triumphal arch before the conch
- A cross and rosettes on the stone of the west architrave
๐ Getting there
- Bredzi, Satsikhuri village, Kareli Municipality, Shida Kartli
- The Build Route button will take you to the spot
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