Churches and Monasteries

Tsughrughasheni is a Georgian Orthodox church in the Bolnisi District, Georgia. It is situated approximately 2 kilometers from Bolnisi Sioni basilica, on the right bank of the Bolnisistsqali River. The church was built in 1212–1222 supposedly by King George IV Lasha of the Bagrationi Dynasty. Tsughrughasheni church in Georgia I first discovered and visited Tsughrughasheni church and monastery in mid-December during a day trip to Bolnisi. It was a bit hard actually to get here physically,…

Bolnisi Sioni Cathedral is a Georgian Orthodox basilica in the Bolnisi village of Bolnisi District, Georgia. The cathedral was built in 478–493. It is the oldest extant church building in Georgia. Bishop David was the overseeing church leader for the construction of Bolnisi Sioni. It took me more than 7 years of living in Georgia to visit for the first time Bolnisi and Bolnisi Sioni at the end of December 2018, though I was familiar that there are one of the oldest historical documents of the …

The Trinity Monastery of St. Jonas is a Ukrainian Orthodox monastery in the Kievan neighborhood of Zverinets, a short distance from the medieval Vydubychi Monastery. We discovered this monastery back in 2017 when visited Hryshko National Botanical Garden Trinity Monastery of St. Jonas It was Jonas, a Vydubychi hegumen, who founded this monastery in 1864. Princess Vasilchikov, the widow of Kiev's Governor General, decided to support the undertaking and presented her dacha to the brethren.It…

The Shio-Mgvime monastery is a medieval monastic complex in Georgia, near the town of Mtskheta. It is located in a narrow limestone canyon on the northern bank of the Kura River, some 30 km from Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital. It took me more than seven years since I've been living in Georgia and  60 GEL to get here. Long story short: At the start of November 2018, we booked a 4-star hotel Gino Wellness in Mtskheta and the girl from hotels front desk organized us a taxi for 60 GEL. Now, this is…

Dubulti church, the most expressive object and the visual dominant of the surrounding area is the most monumental and exquisite Art Nouveau building in Jurmala from the viewpoint of historical and sacral architecture. The size and details of the building clearly show the tradition of national romanticism that may be seen in the rich sculptural elements of the building in the placement of the elements, decor of ornamental sculptural details, as well as the diversity of the facade decoration…

On the top of the abrupt Baznīcaskalns (Church Hill) stands the white masonry Talsi church – the dominant of the old town. It was built in 1567 and later rebuilt for several times. A transept and sacristy are attached to a rectangular, elongated building. Talsi Evangelical Lutheran Church The square bell-tower is attached on the west side of the church, it has a pyramidal spire with a sphere, rooster and a cross. The church spire, the rooster, the tiled roof, the façade and the interior…

Alaverdi Monastery is a Georgian Eastern Orthodox monastery located 25 km from Akhmeta, in the Kakheti region of Eastern Georgia. While parts of the monastery date back to 6th century, the present-day cathedral was built in the 11th century by Kvirike III of Kakheti, replacing an older church of St. George. Despite being on my travel bucket list in Georgia for a very long time, I first visited it in the middle of September 2017, during a two-day trip to Kakheti. See: Day Trip to Kakheti in…

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque  is a historic mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. A popular tourist site, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque continues to function as a mosque today; men still kneel in prayer on the mosque's lush red carpet after the call to prayer. The Blue Mosque, as it is popularly known, was constructed between 1609 and 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I. Its Külliye contains Ahmed's tomb, a madrasah and a hospice. Hand-painted blue tiles adorn the mosque’s interior walls, and at night the…

The monastery of Maria Engelport (Kloster Maria Engelport) is located on the edge of the Hunsrück in the Flaumbach Valley near Treis-Karden, Germany.  We made here a briefly stop while traveling by car around these parts of Germany, it was overcast day, I was not in the mood for photography, just made some quick shots. Kloster Maria Engelport The following written is a rough translation from German using automatic Google translate: The monastery was founded around 1220 by the knight…

The Ateni Sioni Church  is an early 7th-century Georgian Orthodox church in the village of Ateni, some 10 km (6.2 mi) south of the city of Gori, Georgia. It stands in a setting of the Tana River valley known not only for its historical monuments but also for its picturesque landscapes and wine. The name "Sioni" derives from Mount Zion at Jerusalem. I had a chance to visit Atenis Sioni first in March 2017, as my business partner from tourgeorgia.eu Mrs. David Gabliashvili took me to the most…