Bodbe Monastery

Nino, the woman credited with converting Georgia to Christianity in the fourth century, died at Bodbe and was buried there, and the monastery grew around her grave. The present church is medieval, rebuilt several times, with the tomb in a side chapel and a bell tower beside it, approached down a long alley of cypresses that is one of the most photographed avenues in the country. It became a convent in 1889 and, after decades as a hospital, has been one again since 1991, and the nuns keep extensive gardens. Below the monastery a steep path descends through the woods to a spring associated with the saint, with a small chapel and a pool where pilgrims immerse themselves.

History

By Georgian tradition Saint Nino, after seeing the Georgians converted, withdrew to the Bodbe gorge and died there around 338-340, and King Mirian III had a small monastery built over her grave. It flourished in the late Middle Ages, when the kings of Kakheti chose it for their coronations; pillaged by the troops of Shah Abbas I in 1615, it was restored by King Teimuraz I, opened a theological school and kept one of the largest stores of religious books in Georgia. In 1823 it was repaired and painted with murals, after 1837 it became a parish church and fell into disrepair, and from the 1860s Archimandrite Macarius restored it and founded a chanting school; Mikhail Sabinin refurbished Nino's chapel in the 1880s, and in 1889 Tsar Alexander III ordered a nunnery opened here, with a school of needlework and painting. It has been a convent again since 1991, with restoration from 1990 to 2000 and again from 2003 (Wikipedia, Bodbe Monastery).

The main sights

• The tomb of Saint Nino - the grave in the side chapel.
• The cypress alley - the long avenue up to the gate.
• Views over the Alazani - the valley and the Caucasus from the terrace.
• The spring below - the steep path down to the chapel and pool.

When to go

April to October. Two hours, longer with the walk down to the spring. Modest dress is required and skirts and headscarves are lent at the gate.

Things to know

It is a pilgrimage site and busy with groups; quiet is rare. The path to the spring is steep in both directions and the climb back is hard work. Photography inside is not permitted. The queue for the immersion pool can be long.

Nearby

Sighnaghi is north-west; Telavi lies across the valley.

Key facts