GEO: Gelati Monastery

Motsameta Hill, Kutaisi, Georgia
Daily: 10.00am - 6.00pm

Gelati Monastery is a medieval monastic complex founded in 1106 by King David IV of Georgia. As one of the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the greater Kutaisi region, the monastery is definitely worth a visit even though its exterior is still undergoing renovation at the point of writing.

From the smaller Motsameta Monastery, my BFF and I continued our journey on the cab that we'd booked. It started to drizzle when we reached Gelati Monastery that has been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. The ride between the two monasteries took five minutes or less.

Before going further, an old lady ask for a donation for the maintenance of the monastery.

As one of the largest Orthodox monasteries, it was once also a pivotal centre of science, education and culture. Any renovation works certainly takes away the splendour of a particular place of interest to a certain extent, but we weren't complaining too much for we knew we'd be awed by the interior.

Such an eyesore...

That's the only that was opened.

Are you ready to take a look at the inside of the main cathedral?

Does anyone know what exactly is that raised platform on the floor?

I spotted a mural of saints on the ceiling of the room before the main hall.

The building reflects the byzantine architectural style, designed to look like a cross. Do enjoy the photos below.

It was a pity that the interior was somewhat dark as the sun was too shy to show itself that afternoon.

What a beauty!

As there wasn't any other visitors, Pikachu and Melon couldn't afford to miss the opportunity for photo-taking.

Whose bone is that? One of the saints, I suppose?

The presence of the holy spirit felt particularly strong at that corner.

The only thing that I can understand from the tablet is the year 2005.

Afterwards, we explored the grounds of the complex a little bit.

I should've put up my pensive-looking pose on that bench.

I guess the building on the left is the living quarter of the monastery keepers.

Gelati Monastery was in the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger from 2010, but it was finally removed from the said list after seven years in 2017.