TravelswithCharie

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...

Ananuri Castle Fortress I knew the road to Gergeti would be long. But I wanted to go and see the Holy Trinity Church which had captivated me when I saw photos of it with the Caucasus Mountains in the distance. I’m glad I went as the day trip proved to be a surprising and memorable experience. The images I’ve posted here will confirm that. On the way to Gergeti, we stopped at Ananuri which was the seat of the Dukes of Aragvi from the 13th century. A rival duchy, the Shanshe of Ksami, attacked them in the 18th century and massacred the Aragvi clan. Four years later the Shanshe were killed during a revolt by local peasants. These same peasants invited King Teimuraz II to be their ruler. But peace was short lived and the peasants revolted once more in 1746. With the help of the King of Kakheti, Teimuraz II was able to quell the peasant rebellion. The fortress remained in use until the early 19th century.  Watchtower and the Aragvi River Carved façade of the Church of the Mother of God ...