Sept 29 - Take a half hour drive with our hotel owner, Zura, up into the forested mountains to the Sapara Monastery. This lonely place was first built in the 9th Century and is composed of two main structures, St. Mary’s Assumption Church, and St. Saba’s Church. It is set on the side of the mountain, far from the nearest village and blissfully quiet.
Unlike many churches and monasteries in Georgia, it was never damaged and destroyed by invaders. This fortunate happenstance was a result of the powerful Jakeli family that took possession of it in the 13th Century. The patriarch of this family, Sargis Jakeli, managed to negotiate peaceful terms with the Mongols who invaded soon after, and thus shielded his property from plunder and vandalism. Later, the Ottoman invaders also passed over the monastery without incident (the relics had already been hidden away just in case), and the area went into disuse for centuries.
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Back down the hill into Akhaltsikhe for the rest of the afternoon. The town is pleasantly low-key, with just a few main avenues downtown and a large playground right of the central roundabout. We wander around for awhile, enjoying the lack of tourists. Dinner is full on traditional Georgian in a basement restaurant, with khinkale, khachapuri, and a locally-produced vodka shot on the house from the owner. Communication is all in Russian.
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