Georgia. Ananuri - Zhinvali - mountains

It is day 2 of our stay in Georgia. On the first day we visited David Gareji monastery and new "tourist face of Georgia" - city of Sighnaghi. Now we are on the road with our host Vadim traveling in Mtskheta-Mtianeti region along Georgian military road.

The tour started with important religious sites - Jvari, Mtskheta (with Svetitskhoveli cathedral) and mountain monastery of Shio-Mgvime. After an abundant meal we are on the road again.

Our next stop is Ananuri fortress but first we stopped at a viewpoint overlooking Zhinvali reservoir. It is an artificial lake formed by the construction of Zhinvali dam on Aragvi river.

The rock at the viewpoint gives a perfect opportunity for touristic shots. How could we resist the temptation?

Vadim (first from the right) uses the picturesque location to tell us more about the region.

Vadim compares the exploit of 300 Aragvians to 300 Spartans

As you see the tours in small group are conducted in a much more relaxed and personal atmosphere.

And here we are: Ananuri castle opens up right next to the road. Next to it there is a parking spot, but make sure to walk a little back by the road to get the general view.

The castle was built in different periods (one tower is said to date back to 14th century)  as a seat of the eristavis (Dukes) of Aragvi. Located in a narrow part of valley, its main function was to control the road and block it if needed. Modern road is new as the old road with a cute little bridge is now covered by Zhinvali reservoir most of the time.

The oldest tower of Ananuri castle is also its biggest mystery. Its purpose is unclear: the towers of this type are used in mountainous regions of Georgia as snow-breakers, but it is not positioned 45 degrees towards the mountains. It is not a watchtower: there is another tower much more suitable for this purpose, not only is it higher, it is also placed higher on the slope. The tower dates back to 14th century, but when the Church of the Assumption was built in the 17th century, not only did the builders keep this useless tower, they also went through a great deal of trouble to build the church so close to it that it might seem that they belong to one building.

Only when you come closer can you see that there is a narrow gap between the two structures.

And finally, the tower covers beautifully carved grapevine on the western facade. What was the reason to hide such elaborate carving behind the tower? I guess, we will never find it out.

Other facades are also beautifully ornate with stone carvings: grapevine cross remains a popular motive.

Below the cross there are tow angels: one barefoot and one wearing boots. Why? Another mystery of Ananuri.

From the castle walls you can see lower fortifications and beautiful Zhinvali lake. On the right you can see the remains of old road, usually located under water. That day the level went down and we could see it and even drove by it.

Lower part of the castle lays in ruins.

Not always the things change for better, but the lake created in the 1980's adds to the castle's charm.

Georgian cross with dropping sides on the tombstones. 

Little Yaroslava immediately made friends with a local cat and looks like her feelings were reciprocated.

By the old tree roots we are climbing to the towers.

Our efforts are rewarded: from the towers the entire castle opens up in front of you. The three towers (starting from the left) are the older Church of the Virgin, the mysterious tower and the larger Church of the Assumption (Ghvtismshobeli).

The dark arch on the right leads into the old church.

The interior decoration did not survive and the brick walls are bare. Despite the fact that the only object of interest of interest is a stone baldaquin erected by the widow of one of the Dukes, the church is still impressive with sort of solemn beauty.

From the window shows richly decorated Church of the Assumption.

Even though most frescoes here were destroyed during the fire in the 18th century, some still survived and try to scare us with visions of hell.

Last look at the Ananuri churches...

...and it is time for a swim!
The level was lowered so we could see the old road and the bridge that are normally covered by the water. Not only did we see, we even drove by it.

The low "tide" made us walk on what normally is the bottom of the lake.

The cracked surface of the bottom gave a surreal lunar impression

The biggest and the smallest members members of our group - Erkki and Yaroslava - went for a swim.

A group of local youngsters also plunged into the water.

And again was the time to continue the drive: Beso, our driver, is taking his pilot seat.

An unplanned stop: we tried to help a car in trouble. Vadim explained that the gravel you can see on the other river bank is the result of a mudslide that smashed down three villages and changed the riverbed.

Behind the green grass you can see where the slide came from.

A group of kids was picking flowers on the roadside. We watching them and they were watching us photograph them.

We drove past the ski resort Gudauri. Located at an elevation of 2,196 meters (7,200 ft.) above sea level, it boasts perfect skiing opportunities. The slopes of Gudauri are completely above the tree line and are generally considered to be avalanche-safe. The skiers say that even the texture of snow is perfect. In the resort area there is a big hotel built during Soviet times and a couple of smaller motels and campings. Unfortunately, at the moment Gudauri does not operate full power, despite perfect skiing conditions. Uncertain political situation with Russia caused the break in transport communication and in the absence of direct flights, Russians had to fly through the third countries. Of course, this affected the popularity of the resort.

We stopped and one of the organized viewpoints to admire the mountains.

The viewpoint is decorated with a monumental composition built in 1983 commemorating 200 years of Treaty of Gerogievsk when Russia promised Georgia its protection against Muslim neighbors in exchange for loss of certain privileges.
During the Communist rule this event was classified as positive. Nowadays its role in Georgian history is debated and it is impossible to tell "what would have happened if...". But what is incontestable that the territories that at the time of the Treaty were under Turkey never rejoined Georgia and are now Muslim. 

The weather in the mountains changes quickly and before we knew it the clouds started coming both from the top...

...and from the bottom, the Source of the Aragvi River.

The clouds made it pointless going further so we did not make it to Kazbegi mountain, one of the major mountains of the Caucasus, that was supposed to be the final destination of our today's trip.
But what can you do? We cannot control the weather so we turned back.
On the way back the clouds condensed into heavy rain. The rain poured with southern generosity in many areas of Georgia causing destructions especially in Kakheti region. Hats off to Beso driving in the heavy rain by pitch dark road.

On the next day, our 3rd day in Georgia, Vadim was departing for Kutaisi on a two-days trip to Gelati, Prometheus caves near spa-town Tsqaltubo, overnight in Akhaltsikhe, the next day - Khertvisi fortress and cave city Vardzia. He suggested to join him and how could we say 'no' to that?

Georgia. Djvari - Mtskheta - Shio-Mgvime

So here is part II of our adventures in Georgia. As you know during our very first day we arrived to Georgia, found a place to stay, met legendary Vadim and made our first trip to Davd Gareji monastery and the city of Sighnaghi.
On our second day Vadim offered us to join his small group going north of Tbilisi by Georgian Military Road (საქართველოს სამხედრო გზა).

Location of Mtskheta-Mtianeti region 

Our route

The road starts in Tbilisi and runs all the way to Vladikavkaz in Russia. It was built by Russia in the early 19th century after having annexed Georgia and was an engineering masterpiece of its time: it had two to three lanes and iron bridges over the torrents. It is especially astonishing given the fact that within Russia proper at this time decent roads were virtually non-existent. This tour is a good introduction to Georgia as it combines what this country is famous for: places of great religious significance (Jvari, Mtskheta, Shio-Mgvime), fortress (Ananuri), mountains (ski resort Gudauri and - if the weather cooperates - Kazbegi) and last but not least - Georgian feast.

We were to join a family of three from Kazakhstan and young mother with a charming two-years old daughter from Russia.

Vadim's tours cost start from 50€ per person per day and include everything: entry fees, refreshments on the way, plentiful dinner with abundant wine and - what is most important - Vadim himself. Being mostly independent tourists we are usually not big fans of guides - you know those guys who mumble dates and memorized sentences and rush the group to his cousin's shop. But Vadim is not your usual guide. Not Georgian by blood, he became one by soul and makes it his responsibility and his pride that everyone on the tour falls in love with this country. Not only does he explain the history of every rock in every temple, but also historical and religious processes that influenced its construction, he spills names, facts and dates but sprinkles it with irony and makes these historical characters come alive in such a manner that you will still remember them at the tour end. And of course along with history Vadim introduces you to Georgian daily life through one of the major rituals - supra, traditional Georgian feast with a certain order not only of dishes but also of toasts, set of rules and traditions that come with it.

Well, if you are interested in staying at his, joining him for one of his tours or organizing a tailor-made one for you group, better contact Vadim directly. If you want to read more testimonies - just type "Vadim"and "Georgia" in any search engine (I am afraid at the moment most are in Russian) and see for yourself.

But back to the tour. Our first stop was Jvari (ჯვარი) - the Monastery of Cross.
Jvari stands on the rocky mountaintop and opens up beautifully from the road so do not miss this viewpoint (well, if you did, just ask your driver to stop on the way back, just mind the electrical cables).

Jvari was built in the 6th century on the place where Saint Nina, the Enlightener of Georgia (we started talking about her the day before in Bodbe where she is buried) erected a large wooden cross on the site of a pagan temple. Nina came to Georgia in 4th century searching for Jesus' tunic. Even though the tunic was not found, she converted King Mirian III to Christianity thus making Georgia (then called Iberia or Kartli) one of the first countries to have adopted it as State religion. 

Jvari temple

The temple stands on the confluence of the Aragvi and Kura rivers and from the viewpoint next to the church you can see nearby ancient Mtskheta whose history goes back to 1000 years BC. Mtskheta was the capital of Kartli kingdom and here Christianity was proclaimed a state religion. Even after the administrative capital was moved to nearby Tbilisi in the 6th century, Mtskheta remained religious center of the country.

Yes, this is where the poem "Mtsyri" by Russian poet Lermontov starts, and Jvari is the monastery where the action happens:

Немного лет тому назад
  Там, где сливаяся, шумят, 
Обнявшись, будто две сестры,
Струи Арагви и Куры,
  Был монастырь...

That can be translated like this......

Where merge Aragva and her twin,
Kura, and fast rush onward, in
Times past, a lonely cloister stood...

...or like this

Where Kura and Aragva flow

Together in tumultuous race

Like sisters meeting in embrace,

There stood, not many years ago,

 A monastery...

I personally prefer the second translation as from here you can clearly see that Aragvi and Kura are far from being twins: Kura (or Mtkvari - მტკვარი - in Georgian) starts up in the mountains but by the time it arrives to Mtskheta it loses its strength and becomes slow. Aragvi that flows mostly in stone strata remains so blue and clear that their confluence is very visible, even from such distance.

Confluence of Aragvi (right) and Kura (Mtkvari)

Last look from the top at Mtskheta dominated by Svetitskhoveli cathedral...

...and we are going in (do not forget the dress code: covered heads and skirt for women, long pants and no bare feet for men). The monk seems to be watching...

On top of the door there is a bas-relief Ascension of the Cross. The cross shape is sometimes called Maltese, some say it reminds a lot of Iron Cross of Teutonic order, but Georgians claim it is their traditional cross formed by four overlapping circles. And since Knight orders formed in the 13th century and Jvari was built in the 6th, the Georgians seem to have a 500 years advantage.

Bas-relief Ascension of the Cross

The interior of the church unfortunately did not survive till our days. According to Georgian tradition, their temples are covered with frescoes from top to bottom. But instead of stucco they use grind clay. Here clay is available in abundance and serves as a perfect foundation for frescoes creating smooth surface while possessing good insulation qualities. However this material has one disadvantage: it is water-soluble. And as the tiles on the roof were connected with lead and every conqueror made it a priority to collect this precious material, the frescoes stayed exposed to elements and deteriorated.

Jvari interior with the cross

According to the legend Saint Nino came to Georgia with a cross made of grapevine entwined with her own hair. As she walked for days, the flexible grapevine deformed and the horizontal arms slightly drooped. This Grapevine Cross often referred to as the Georgian cross or Saint Nino's cross, is a major symbol of the Georgian Orthodox Church. The icons of Saint Nino with her unusual cross can be found in all over Georgia.
The original cross changed hands several times, stayed in various locations around Georgia, in Armenia and even Moscow. Since 1802 it has been preserved in the Sioni Cathedral in Tbilisi.
Since the cross was made of grapevine, the grape motives are commonly used in the exterior and interior elements in Georgian temples - such as chandelier below. Or maybe it just honors the ancient tradition of wine-making?

Saint Nina, her cross and grapevine chandelier

Next stop - of course, Mtskheta and Svetitskhoveli, 11th century cathedral that remains religious center of Georgia, served as  the site of the coronation of the Georgian kings and as their burial place.

Mtskheta and Mktvari

Mtskheta historical center has been recently renovated. We thought that only very rich people could afford these properties, but in fact all the renovation was conducted at the state expense, and all center inhabitants now live like rich people absolutely free.

Renovated Mtskheta streets lead to Svetitskhoveli

Svetitskhoveli

The square next to the cathedral has undergone some serious refurbishment too. Tourist information center was built here as well as Marriage Registration Palace - beautiful background for wedding photos.
The new buildings' architecture is influenced by Georgian traditions (such as stone carving). Some find it eclectic, but it is better than concrete block that were built during Communist rule. 

New buildings upkeep old traditions

The temple was built between 1010 and 1029 on the site where even more ancient temples  were  previously located. The first temple - the first Christian church of Georgia - was built in 4th century by King Mirian III under the guidance of Saint Nina herself who is said to have chosen the spot. In the 5th century a newer temple  was built during the reign of Vakhtang I Gorgasali, the founder of Tbilisi. Few elements remain from the 5th century building such as these bull heads incorporated into the east facade, testimony that in that early period Christian visual arts were influenced by earlier believes.

One of the bull heads incorporated into the east facade dating back to 5th century

Local troubadour makes his living next to Svetitskhoveli

As we walk in the temple, it starts speaking its own language, full of symbols that its contemporaries could read...

The name Svetitskhoveli is a combination of words sveti - "pillar" and tskhoveli - "life-giving" or "living", and of course a legend needs to be told in order to understand the meaning of this name.
So, Saint Nina came to Georgia in search of Jesus' tunic that supposedly was brought here by Elias, a Georgian Jew from Mtskheta back in the 1st century AD. Legend says that Elias' sister Sidonia felt such spiritual energy coming from it, that she always carried it with her. Even when she died, her arms were clinched around the tunic so tight that she had to be buried with it.
Of course, by the time Nina made to Georgia in the 4th century, all memory of this story was lost.
But her trip was not in vain as she converted King Mirian III - and his entire country - into Christianity. Of course, the temple had to be built and a giant cedar that grew nearby was to be used for pillars. However they builders could not erect it until it miraculously rose itself in the air (some saw an angel holding it) and installed itself in the proper place. As it turned out, the cedar grew from the place where Sidonia holding the tunic was buried. This pillar was later known to emerge sacred liquid that cured diseases. An icon portraying this event can be seen on the second column on the right-hand from the entrance. It has been reproduced all over Georgia and can be found in every Georgian temple.
This stone chapel was built on top of the Sidonia's grave. It contains the remains of original life-giving pillar - Svetitshkhoveli.

Svetitshkhoveli itself

The sides of the stone chapel are decorated with paintings depicting King Mirian II with his wife Nana as well as his contemporary - Byzantine Emperor Constantine I.
Pay attention to the fresco on its Western side (opposite of altar): on the Crucifixion fresco in the upper right corner there are funny shapes reminding either jellyfish with human faces or flying saucers. Ufologists have been bringing it up as a proof that Jesus was sent from another galaxy and that extraterrestrials were present at the time of Crucifixion.

The most famous fresco of Svetitskhoveli

Some frescoes have preserved very well except for human faces. Were they scratched off by Muslim conquerors?

The stone chapel had a small door used to collect healing liquid coming from the cedar. The cedar stopped shedding it after the arrival of Shah Abbas who destroyed many monuments all over Georgia.

On the upper-left the fresco depicts King Mirian III who adopted Christianity as state religion thus making Georgia second country in the world (Armenia was the first) to become officially Christian.

The Georgian Orthodox church is a sister to Russian Orthodox church with most rites being exactly the same. One of fundamental differences is that the walls of Russian churches are mostly white while Georgian churches are covered with frescoes from floor to ceiling. The first Russian churches were wooden as there is an abundance of forests in Russia. Georgia is not rich in wood but has a lot of stone so Georgian churches were made of it. Of course, one cannot paint the log walls so Russian religious art developed in the direction of icon-painting, while the stone walls of Georgian temples are ideal for mural paintings and Georgian religious art followed this direction. After Georgia signed the Treaty of Georgievsk asking Russia to protect it against Muslim threat, Russia soon annexed it and Georgian church lost its  autocephaly. In the attempt to unify both churches, the paintings in many Georgian churches were white-washed. Svetitskhoveli did not avoid this destiny: in preparation to Tsar's visit in the 19th century the frescoes were white-washed as well, though in the end the Tsar never came. Today after a careful restoration some frescoes can be seen.

Another difference between the Georgian and Russian Orthodox churches is altar partition or iconostasis: in Russia it consists of several rows of icons - three, four, five levels. In Georgia the partition is only one level allowing to see the main altar mural.
Svetitskhoveli altar mural seems ancient but it was done in 19th century - with all respect to the traditions, of course

The altar mural

The next fresco however dates back to 13th century. It depicts the Beast of Apocalypse and Zodiac signs, which is pretty unusual for a Christian temple.

Zodiac signs surround the figure of Christ and angels

The Bbeast of Apocalypse

Another stone structure in the southern aisle is the throne of Catholicos-Patriarch

The throne no longer serves its function as current tradition requires the throne for the Georgian Patriarch to be in the center of the church.

Svetitshkhoveli interior with current Patriarch's throne and tombstones in the foreground

As icons are not a big part of Georgian tradition, most of them are from the 20th century. One of the most famous ones (sorry, I forgot the name of the artist, Georgian names are not my strong suit) depicts Jesus the way you cannot tell whether his eyes are open or closed. I am not sure whether the photo renders it properly but in mysterious half-light it sure does give this effect.

Dome and altar mural

Georgian temples are famous for their stone-carving. But looks like here again someone tried hard to get rid of the faces.

Another structure worth attention is a symbolic copy of the Chapel of Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Built between the end of the 13th and the beginning the 14th centuries it was meant to mark the succession of Svetitshkhoveli to Jerusalem temple due to the fact that Jesus' robe was kept here.

Copy of the Chapel of Holy Sepulcher

We walked around Svetitshkhoveli...

...admiring its elaborate stone carvings that Georgia is famous for.

Next stop was Shio-Mgvime monastery. Located just 18 kilometers from Mtskheta, it is not easily accessible as the road is very bad - could easily be compared to the road to David Gareji, the difference is that the road to Shio-Mgvime is more mountainous. According to Internet testimonies, many taxi drivers refuse to go there so keep it in mind if you are an independent traveler.

Shio-Mgvime (literally, Shio's well) was founded by St Shio (Georgian for Simon), one of Thirteen Assyrian Fathers - a group of monastic missionaries who came to strengthen Christianity in Georgia in the 6th century. Their leader John (Ioane) of Zedazeni ordered that the monks spread around Georgia and each founded a monastery. Until now multiple monasteries across the country are said to have been founded and led by them and their numerous disciples. By the way, David Gareji monastery we had visited the day before was also founded by one of them. During out following days in Georgia we would also visit Alaverdi monastery (founded by Joseph of Alaverdi) and Iqalto (founded by Zenon of Iqalto). That makes it 4 out of 13 - not bad for the first time.
So the monastery history goes back to 6th century when it established itself as an important religious center and as many as 2000 monks lived here. Numerous foreign invasions (including the notorious Shah Abbas) resulted in its decline and the monastery never regained its former importance.
During Communist rule the monastery was closed (same as most religious establishments) but nowadays it is functional and attracts tourists and pilgrims alike.

Monastery is located in a narrow limestone canyon.

Many monks lived in the caves carved in limestone. Nowadays the caves are not inhabited but can still be seen around the monastery and along the road leading to the complex.
Looks like Georgians like dwelling: there is a cave monastery David Gareji, another cave monastery of Vardzia dating back to 12-13th century BC and a cave city of Uplistsikhe that we have not had a chance to visit. Maybe next time.

As the monastery is functional, you cannot access monks' cells but the temples are open to public.

The oldest temple in the complex dates back to the 6th century while central church was built in the 12th century and restored in the 17th. The murals are much newer and go back to 19th century.

Murals in Shio-Mgvime monastery

If we were not guided by Vadim we would have never found what is supposed to be the holiest place in the monastery - the well where St. Shio spent the last 15 years of his life in prayer and fasting and that gave name to the monastery. The door to the cell can be found at the stairs landing that looked like a utility storeroom with bags of concrete and some building tools. The door was built later though: Saint Shio received food from the hole located in the temple on top of the cell and never exited the well so he did not need the door. And even when the king Parsman wanted to receive Shio's advise he ordered to dig a hole leading to Shio's well. This hole was so narrow that even the king had to kneel and crawl. Its remains can be seen under the staircase. 

The door leading to Shio-Mgvime - Shio's Well

Before you enter prepare 20 cents and get yourself a candle, even if you are not particularly religious: it is pitch dark in the cell.

Inside Shio's well

After having  seen 3 such important religious monuments we stopped at a roadside café where Tbilisians like to gather. There Vadim first time introduced us to Georgian feast tradition. We learned about different kinds of pkhali, how to eat khinkali and of course what and how to drink during the feast. But of course, it deserves a separate post and we will return to Georgian cuisine later.
Our day was far from over: we still had to drive up the Georgian military road towards Ananuri fortress, Zhinvali lake and the mountains.
To be continued.