Sameba Cathedral

In the historical district of old Tbilisi, in Avlabari, on the hill of Saint Elijah, is located the largest cathedral in all of Georgia, Sameba. The Holy Trinity, or Sameba, has immense spiritual importance for several reasons. Sameba was built on the verge of millennia in honor of the revival of the traditional Georgian faith, which was Orthodox Christianity, after 70 years of Soviet occupation. The construction of the cathedral started in 1995 and was completed in 2004. Its construction was also dedicated to the 2000th year of Christianity and the 1500th year of the independence of the Georgian Church. The first service was conducted in Sameba in 2002. The place of construction and an architectural style were also carefully chosen by the patriarchate. There was a big competition held beforehand in 1989. Archil Mindiashvili's project was chosen. This project was a mix between modern and traditional, cross-dome and central-dome churches. Sameba Cathedral follows traditional style, but at the same time it is a modern Georgian church with an air conditioning system, a sound system, communication between floors, and many more. 

About

According to the first project, 11 hectares of land were taken for the construction of the complex, which consists of the cathedral, bell tower, patriarchate, father's monastery, spiritual seminary, and other additional constructions. The area of the cathedral is 5000 square meters; it consists of five underground and four above-ground churches. Churches of John the Baptist, Saint Nino, Saint George, Saint Nicholas, the archangels, and the twelve apostles are located in the Cathedral.  The dome of the cathedral is covered with sheets of copper. On the outside, it is built of tufa and granite from different parts of Georgia, and the interior is decorated with Georgian limestone, Italian, Greek, and Egyptian marble. The floors are made with Chinese and Indian granite. The height of The Cathedral is 101 meters, together with its cross. The cross is covered in gold, and its height is 7.2 meters. Its weight is 2 tons. 

Before the construction of the cathedral, stones were brought from different parts of the world and placed in its basement. Stones from Mount Zion, where the god gave the ten commandments to Moses, and stones from the river Jordan, where Christ was baptized, and from Nazareth, where the annunciation by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary happened that she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit to be called Jesus, and many more holy places.

How To Reach

Overall, except for the spiritual importance of Sameba for locals, it is one of the favorite destinations for travelers. First, it is located very close to the old town of Tbilisi, so it is very easy to reach; it is just 10 minutes of walk from Avlabari Metro station and 15 minutes of walk from Metekhi Cathedral. Second, with its size and colors, it looks magnificent and has magnificent views of Tbilisi itself. It is definitely recommended to visit Sameba if you are anywhere close to Tbilisi.