Vardzia

Vardzia is one of the most astonishing sights in Georgia, a vast cave monastery city carved directly into the sheer face of a mountainside in the remote south of the country. Excavated in the second half of the twelfth century, begun under King George III and enlarged under his daughter, the great Queen Tamar, this remarkable complex once held hundreds of rooms, churches, chapels, wine cellars and tunnels on many levels, home to thousands of monks, hidden from invaders. Though an earthquake later sheared away its outer wall, exposing the honeycomb of caves, it remains an active monastery, with a beautifully frescoed main church.

History

The area was inhabited in the Bronze Age, and the cave monastery was laid out under King Giorgi III, 1156-1184, when the first dwellings were cut; between his death and the marriage of his successor Tamar in 1186 the Church of the Dormition was carved and painted. The chronicles tell how Tamar built a church for the icon of the Virgin of Vardzia after divine help in her campaigns, and how Vardzia escaped the Mongols in the 1290s; the dining hall dates from the first half of the 15th century, and caves of the Ananauri complex from the 15th and 16th centuries. The Persians under Shah Tahmasp I sacked it in 1551, and after the Ottomans arrived in 1578 the monks left and the site was abandoned, some of its treasures taken to the Imeretian village of Vardzia (Wikipedia, Vardzia).

What to look for

• The cave city - the honeycomb of hundreds of rooms in the cliff.
• The Church of the Dormition - the main church and its medieval frescoes.
• The tunnels and cellars - the passages, chapels and wine cellars.
• The cliff setting - the vast complex carved into the mountainside.

When to go

May to October for the best weather to explore the exposed cliffside complex; it is a working monastery, so dress modestly at the church. It is remote in the south, so it is a long day trip or an overnight, often combined with the nearby Rabati fortress.

Good to know

It is remote, in the far south near the Turkish and Armenian borders, so reaching it is a long trip, best over a day or two combined with other sights like the restored Rabati castle. Exploring the caves involves walking, steps and some low tunnels. It is a working monastery, so modest dress is needed at the church. Its scale and setting, though, are genuinely astonishing.

Nearby

The Rabati fortress in Akhaltsikhe and the southern highlands are within reach.

Key facts