Day 179: Sapara Monastery and Akhaltsikhe

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.

St. Mary’s Assumption Church, from the west side.

A detail on St. Saba’s Church.

The interior of St. Mary’s Assumption Church is especially well preserved, and (unusually) has a second floor.

The frescos, which cover a good percentage of the walls and dome, date from the 14th Century. The light made for some good photography.

Up the hill from the monastery were ruins of some old walls and towers, and good views down the mountain.

One of the towers.

The bell tower is one of the oldest in Georgia. Under it are a group of tombs.

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.

Statue of Queen Tamar (r. 1184-1213) in downtown Akhaltsikhe. You don’t get far in Georgia without hearing about this now heavily romanticized ruler. She took the throne upon the death of her father and is widely seen as ruling during a Georgian cultural and political golden age. She consolidated territory at the expense of the Seljuk Turks (whose power was weakening anyway), oversaw development in the arts, and survived several coup attempts. She was the first undisputed female ruler in Georgia, and constantly had to defend her position from a more traditionally-minded aristocracy. After her death, the ‘golden age’ came to an end with the unexpected invasion of the Mongols.

One of the towers of Rabati Fortress, as seen from near our hotel.

Georgia