Mtskheta, Georgia

Mtskheta City - Mtskheta Georgia

Mtskheta City is one of the oldest cities of Georgia and it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.

Archaeological findings claim that people lived in the neighborhood of Mtskheta from 2nd millennium BC.

From Tbilisi, it is located in 20 km and due to its historical significance and several cultural monuments the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Historical Monuments of Mtsketa contain archaeological remains of great significance that testify to the high culture in the art of building, masonry crafts, pottery, as well as metal casting and processing, and the social, political, and economic evolution of this mountain kingdom for some four millennia. They also represent associative values with religious figures, such as Saint Nino, whose deeds are documented by Georgian, Armenian, Greek and Roman historians, and the 6th-century church in Jvari Monastery remains the most sacred place in Georgia.

As Mtskheta Georgia is the birthplace and one of the most vibrant centers of Christianity in Georgia, Mtskheta City was declared as the "Holy City" by the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Mtskheta Georgia is located on the crossroad of Europe and Asia and had very important strategic and economic advantages till late middle ages. It used to be the capital of the Eastern Georgian kingdom of Iberia from the 4th c BC through the 5th c AD, when King Vakhtang Gorgasali moved his court to Tbilisi.

Jvari Monastery - Mtskheta Georgia

The masterpiece of Early Christian Orthodox architecture Jvari Monastery is dated 585-604 cc AD. Located on the hill top near the town Mtskheta, it is listed in UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1994. The name is translated as the Monastery of the Cross.

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral - Mtskheta Georgia

It was built in the 11th century (1010-1029) on the site of the Twelve Apostles Church, the first Christian Georgian church erected in the 4 th century, in Mtskheta Georgia.

Shio Mgvime Monastery - Mtskheta Georgia

The Shio Mgvime monastery is located in a beautiful forest place on the left bank of the river Kura in Georgia. The road follows a narrow limestone canyon from the main square in the Mtskheta City.  Shiomgvime monastery of 6th - 12th cc., was founded in 6th c. by St. Father Shio, one of the 13 monks from Antioquia.

Samtavro monastery - Mtskheta Georgia

Located in ancient king family's garden includes cathedral of 11th c and 4th c church, where St. Nino prayed.