Caucasus Day 8: Stepantsminda > Tblisi

38° this morning! Yesterday the forecast was for rain and snow and we started our hike in just that at 8:45am. The trail took us about an hour to climb, mostly stairs in a pleasant wood. We were met with a bit of a blizzard at the top but once we made it to the church it blessedly stopped.

Gergeti Trinity church (14th century) is located on top of the hill (2170m) and one of the country’s most iconic images. It was built to celebrate the area’s freedom from Mongol invaders. Someone asked why it was built so high up, like so many churches, and Sophie said there’s a saying: the more difficult your trip to get to the church the sooner your wishes will come true.

We took another trail back down alongside a creek, so in the trees on the way up, and views on the return.

We had time for a warming coffee back at our hotel before off to our dumpling making lesson and lunch with a local lady. The lesson was fun, simple process but hard to master. Then lunch upstairs in her dining room. We were there for ages! She kept bringing out more and more food until we had to roll ourselves out.

Next was a long bus ride back towards Tblisi with 2 churches to see on the way.

*Many mountain towns are becoming abandoned as residents seek better life in the cities. As an incentive to stay gov’t is doubling pensions and salaries for professions like teacher’s & doctors*

The first was Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta, Georgia’s ancient capital and its religious centre and an UNESCO World Heritage site.

This is the site where Georgia’s first church was built after the country adopted Christianity in 326. It’s centered to be on the ground where a Jewish merchant, who witnessed the cruxifixction and brought back Jesus’s tunic, was buried with said robe. The current church dates back to the 11th C, with the fragments of frescoes remaining retouched in the 16th century. This is considered the holiest site in Georgia, it was also Sunday, and Saint Maria’s birthday so the place was heaving with multiple weddings taking place.

*Site under which merchant & tunic are buried*

*Unusual to see a pagan zodiac image in a church*

Our last stop before dinner was Jvari church (6th century) located high above Mtskheta. The interior was closed for renovation but the real attraction was the location and view. We timed it perfectly for the setting sun to highlight the golden stone and cast the town in a hazy glow. Interestingly, it was right below us that the golden treasures were excavated that we saw in the museum a few days ago.