NINOTSMINDA CATHEDRAL

The Ninotsminda Church Complex is a reference point for Georgian architecture: predating the Djvari Monastery in Mtskheta, it is one of the first achievements of Georgian classical architecture, heralding the future developments that will characterize the style of the national churches. In particular, it was the instigator of the tetraconque (four-apse construction technique) in Georgia and remains one of the oldest examples of this type of construction in the world. Built in the 6th century, around 575, the monastery of Ninotsminda was fortified in the 16th and 17th centuries, before being devastated by an earthquake in 1848. The cathedral itself is now in ruins, but the side of the four apses is miraculously still standing, with magnificent 16th-century frescoes. Note the bullet holes left by the bands of Dagestan looters who were rampant in the 19th century and sought to destroy Christian imagery. The superb bell tower has been well preserved, as has part of the fortification walls. The whole dates from the 16th century. The bell tower, with its arch and elaborate brick geometric figures, reflects the Persian influence on Kakhetia, of which it was a vassal state.

Since the late 1990s, nuns have settled on the site and rebuilt churches and outbuildings in a medieval style. One can visit the monastery while respecting the monastic rules of life.