Alaverdi Cathedral

In the middle of the wine fields in Alazani Valley, a white cathedral is seen from all around. It is called Alaverdi, and according to folk narrations, the name is connected with the fertility of a land. It is totally true and agreeable because the lands in the Kakheti area are very, very fertile. They represent the richness of Georgia, and everything can be grown there. Specifically, the main fruit of Kakheti is grapes, and everything in Georgia, especially in Kakheti, is connected to grapes and their produce, wine. This beautiful cathedral, built in the 11^th  century, isn’t an exception. Alaverdi had always had its own vineyards and wine production. This can be seen even today. Alaverdi monastery, together with a wine company called Badagoni, was one of the first to start the revival of old Georgian winemaking traditions. Today they own hectares of wine fields, producing wine with Georgian endemic grape varieties and Georgian traditional methods using Qvevri.

Alaverdi Monastery is one of the tallest churches in Georgia and one of the best examples of Georgian medieval religious architecture. Before the building of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi, Alaverdi Cathedral was the highest religious construction in Georgia. Its mural paintings are impressive, but sadly, only a very small part is preserved. On the wall of the northern façade, the tomb of the founder of Alaverdi Monastery is buried. Josef Alaverdeli, even today, is one of the most famous saints in Georgia. The exhibition of Georgian grapes, located in the middle of Alaverdi Monastery, is very impressive because there you can find lots of endemic species of grapes from Georgia. The palace of a Persian ruler from XVIII c. and a building of a library, so if you want to be familiar with a local culture and religion, it is a very good idea to see Alaverdi Cathedral.

If you want to visit Alaverdi Cathedral, you can take a taxi or “marshutka”, a private bus, from Didube station, or you can take one of our tours here.