TravelswithCharie

There are many good reasons why you must stop at Jvari Monastery before entering the city of  Mtskheta. Here are three. First, Jvari is where the female evangelist, St. Nino, planted a wooden cross on top of a pagan temple and started her mission to spread Christianity across Georgia. The rest is history. Secondly, you can’t get a better view of Mtskheta than from one of the balconies at Jvari. Lastly, you can see the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers, two bodies of water that have shaped the lives of the people in this region. Let’s go. Jvari Monastery is a sixth century monastery. It is also known as the Holy Cross Monastery after the cross St. Nino planted on this site.  Jvari holds remnants of that cross which is revered by pilgrims to this day. Together with Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Samtavro Monastery, it is a World Heritage site. Wooden cross, Jvari Monastery Beaneath this wooden cross are remnants of the original cross St. Nino planted on this site. St. Ni...

Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba Cathedral) It's taken me a long time to write about Tbilisi. This city has so much going for it that it's hard to know where to begin. Tbilisi is a cosmopolitan city with deep historical roots that provide a nice contrast to its forward looking modern architectural structures. It was also the melting pot of various cultures over centuries. So where do I begin? The easiest way for me to give you, my reader, a taste of Tbilisi is to show you the places where our small tour group was taken. It was a full day tour so I got to see quite a bit of the city. Our first stop was at the Holy Trinity Cathedral. Hope of Georgia , Holy Trinity Cathedral  The Holy Trinity Cathedral is the seat of the Georgian Orthodox Church. It has a prominent position on Elia Hill in the Avlari district. It holds the distinction as the third tallest Orthodox church and one of the largest in the world. It was consecrated in 2004 after years of civil unrest in Georgia delayed it...

Georgia-Russia Friendship Monument This colorful stone and tile monument was built in 1983 to commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the Treaty of Georgievsk signed in 1783 between the Russian Empire and the Kartli-Kakheti Kingdom of eastern Georgia. Under this treaty, the kingdom became a protectorate of Russia while maintaining territorial boundaries and the recognition of its reigning Bagrationi dynasty. In return, the Georgian kingdom had to swear allegiance to Russia and to support it in times of war.  Reality Check The Friendship Monument is a popular destination and there were a lot of visitors during my visit in May. It was impossible to get good pictures with the overwhelming number of tourists blocking the scenery. I’ve had to erase some people from the photo above to have a better appreciation of this monument. This cylindrical monument was designed by Zurab Tsereteli (the sculptor and designer of the Chronicle of Georgia*) and the architect of the project was Georg...