Mtskheta, Georgia

Mtskheta is a town in Grorgia at the confluence of the Kura and Aragvi rivers, just northwest of Tbilisi by a 30 minute ride. One of the oldest settlements of Transcaucasia, Mtskheta was the capital of Georgia from the 2nd to 5th century AD. It is home to the UNESCO  Cathedral of Sveti-Tskhoveli, the traditional burial place for the kings of Georgia, founded in the 4th century and reconstructed in the 15th and 18th centuries; the Samtavro convent; and the Dzhvari Church. Mtskheta’s religious buildings were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994. We visited this former capital city and enjoyed walking through the town, and seeing the famous churches as well as traveling to the Jvari monestary overlooking the town on the hill. The river kura was unusually low and we could see the remnants of an old Roman Bridge from the 1st century AD used to cross the river. Typically the bridge is far below water . The roses were also in bloom which was a treat. The Cathedral of Sveti-Tskhovel has a famous Georgian painting of St Nina. St Nina came from Kappadokia in Central Turkey on a pilgrimage to pray for Jesus at this church. She is cited as bringing Christanity to Georgia as the majority of the country close to 85% is Christian Orthodox. There is a running joke among Georgians that a girl from Turkey (home of Islam) came to the Caucassian mountains to prey for a Jewish prophet (Jesus) and converted the entire nation of Georgia to Christianity. Georgia was formerly pagan before that in ancient times. This photo at the church is a wide spread image found in other church's across Georgia as well as in people's homes. Here is a better rendering of the image: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sabinin._G…Read more