The church of the Virgin Mary and its tower stand on a hill in a cemetery about seven hundred metres southeast of Zghuderi village in Kareli Municipality. The complex is assigned to the 13th and 14th centuries and lists it as a cultural heritage monument.
The hall of about nine metres by six is laid of sandstone of varying size, shape and colour: yellowish, wine and greenish stone all appear here, while the narthex was built of shirimi, of which several blocks survive. The entrance was on the south. The apse holds a flattened semicircular window with a stone lintel and rectangular niches on either side, the west wall window is faced with flat stone too, and the vault lay directly on the long walls.
Only the northwestern corner survives of the rectangular three tier tower, once seven or eight metres high. It is laid of sandstone and cobble, wooden beams survive between the floors, and a rectangular entrance can be read in the west wall of the second storey. The church is badly damaged: the south wall is almost gone and the vault and part of the conch have collapsed.
💡 Tip
- Sandstone of three shades in a single masonry
- The northwestern corner survives of the three tier tower
- Wooden beams survive between the floors of the tower
🚗 Getting there
- Zghuderi village, Kareli Municipality, Shida Kartli
- The Build Route button will take you to the spot
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