Svetitskhoveli Cathedral

Religion in Georgia and in the whole Caucasus is very important. People here live with religious beliefs, traditions, and customs that are part of everyday life. Therefore, if anyone wants to understand Georgians, they must first understand their religion, and nowhere else can this be done better than in the religious center of the country, Mtskheta. Firstly, we must say that Mtskheta has immense cultural and historical importance for the world and immense religious importance for Georgians. This is a place very tightly connected with the adoption of Christianity in Georgia, simply because it was the capital and the political center of the kingdom of Kartli when it was Christianized. For those who do not know yet, Kartli is the name of an old Georgian kingdom. Exactly in this town, in Mtskheta, is located Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. The cathedral was first built in the 4th century A.D., remnants of which were found during the restoration works of the 1970s. There are 6^th and 11^th-century churches standing on top of those ruins today. It was by the order of the Catholicos of Georgia, Melkisedek I, that construction of the Cathedral of Svetitskhoveli started in 1010. However, even though the building was damaged and restored many times after, the cathedral still maintains the authenticity and importance of its first construction. According to Georgian historical sources, a tunic of Jesus Christ is buried under Svetitskhoveli, as it is a burial of Georgian royals. Around 10 kings are buried inside the cathedral, and three of them are very famous. The legendary king Vakhtang Gorgasali, who founded Tbilisi, the modern capital of Georgia, is buried in Svetitskhoveli together with King Erekle II and his descendant, George XII.

Svetitskhoveli has become the second Jerusalem for Georgians. It is a place of pilgrimage, a place of weddings, baptismal ceremonies, and anything holy that is connected with people’s lives. Svetitskhoveli has a good location as well. It is located in the heart of Mtskheta, on the embankment of the river Mtkvari. Its architecture is traditional Georgian; it never repeats itself in the world.

You can visit Svetitskhoveli by hiring a taxi or taking a tour.