Gelati

Set on a wooded hillside above Kutaisi, Gelati Monastery is one of the great monuments of medieval Georgia — a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded in 1106 by King David the Builder, the country’s most celebrated ruler.

Gelati was far more than a church. Its Academy gathered philosophers, theologians and scientists, earning it the name “a new Athens.” For centuries it stood at the centre of Georgian intellectual and spiritual life, and David the Builder himself is buried at its gate.

The interior holds some of the finest medieval mosaics and frescoes in the Caucasus, including a luminous golden mosaic of the Virgin above the altar. The portraits of Georgian kings and queens along the walls form a remarkable gallery of the country’s history.

Nearby stands the small clifftop monastery of Motsameta, dramatically perched above a river gorge, an easy and rewarding addition to any visit.

Join us at Gelati to stand inside a thousand years of Georgian faith, art and learning.