Bolnisi Sioni

Bolnisi Sioni was built between 478 and 493 and is the oldest church building in Georgia still standing largely as it was made: a three-aisled basilica in dressed green-grey stone, without a dome, its aisles separated by heavy piers and arcades, with a baptistery attached and carved capitals showing bulls and geometric ornament. On its walls are inscriptions in asomtavruli, the earliest Georgian script, recording the building and its dates, and they are among the oldest examples of written Georgian in existence. A bell tower was added later. The scale, the plainness and the age make it a quieter but more significant building than many better-known churches.

The main sights

• A basilica of 478 to 493 - the oldest standing church in the country.
• Asomtavruli inscriptions - among the earliest written Georgian.
• Carved capitals - bulls and geometric ornament on the piers.
• The attached baptistery - the early liturgical annex.

When to go

April to October. One to two hours. Modest dress is required. It may be closed outside service times; ask at the village.

Good to know

It is plain inside with no painting, so visitors expecting frescoes will be disappointed; the interest is architectural and epigraphic. Interpretation is minimal. Getting there needs a car. The surrounding area is industrial in places.

Nearby

Dmanisi is west; Tbilisi lies north-east.

Key facts