Both Georgia and Armenia have no shortage on churches and monasteries, dating back centuries or even a millennia. So from my base in Tbilisi, there were two I wanted to visit outside the city.

Church hunting began with Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. It’s a really beautiful cathedral, I don’t normally think that of Christian churches as they get very repetitive (I’ll go even as far to say Christianity ruined European art for centuries because it’s all just the same). While on the outside it may look like any other cathedral, enter inside and the wall art is incredible.

Dating back 1010, this cathedral is ranked as one of the most important cathedrals of Orthodox Georgia. It’s the 2nd largest church in Georgia, and holds a UNESCO heritage badge. It’s importance to Georgians cannot be overstated, and it’s still very active with worshippers as I’d discover inside.

Orthodox priests, in their black robes and wild grey beards, swinging incense and chanting verses roam the hall. The faithful pray in groups along with their priests, and candles are lighted for their own personal reasons. And all along the walls are paintings on the walls a thousand years old, worn and faded, but still resisting the decay of time (and the Soviets).

Honestly, I finding this extremely uncomfortable. If the cathedral was empty, no problem. But when I walk in and it’s very actively being used, I don’t think I should be there gawking at the amazingly art and sneaking photos. I took a couple if shots and left.

The strangest part of this cathedral was the shocking number of tourist souvenir shops just outside. Sure this is both a spiritual destination and a tourist one, but there dozens of stalls. Maybe in summer or religious days there’s more people, but I just can’t see how it can sustained. There’s even several stalls selling wine ice cream, entrepreneurship mixing Georgian love of wine and Christian symbolism (I was told it didn’t taste anything like wine).

Looming above Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, siting on mountain high, is Jvari Monastery.

Building monasteries on mountains is an addiction for these parts, a large reason for doing this so they were safer from being ransacked by invading forces who just couldn’t be arsed climbing a mountain for a little old church. Thankfully in this modern era we built roads and have cars to get us to them. I’d have no intention to climb my way up to these places, regardless how breathtaking the view.

Built between 590 and 605, this site really does give incredible views of the town of Mtskheta below, and the glorious mountains surrounding the valley. Despite it being high on a mountaintop, it did in fact get burned by the Arab invasion in 914. But Jvari Monastery stood strong regardless, and survived with only minor damages.

I’m a tad church/monastery/cathedral’d out about now. All the locations from Armenia to these in Georgia, are spectacularly situated in the mountains, and they’re all awe inspiring to stand along side. But that’s enough for now.

It’s time to wrap up Tbilisi and move further west into Georgia.