Alaverdi Monastery ( ka, ალავერდის მონასტერი) is a Georgian Eastern Orthodox

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

located from

Akhmeta Akhmeta ( ka, ახმეტა) is a town in Kakheti (Georgia) and is the administrative centre of Akhmeta Municipality. It's situated on the left side of Alazani, close to the Pankisi Gorge. The town is situated at 567m. In 1966, it received th ...

, in the

Kakheti Kakheti ( ka, კახეთი ''K’akheti''; ) is a region (mkhare) formed in the 1990s in eastern Georgia from the historical province of Kakheti and the small, mountainous province of Tusheti. Telavi is its capital. The region comprises eigh ...

region of Eastern

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. While parts of the monastery date back to 6th century, the present day cathedral was built in the 11th century by

Kvirike III of Kakheti Kvirike III the Great ( ka, კვირიკე III დიდი, ''Kvirike III Didi'') (died 1037/39) was a ruler of Kakheti and Hereti in eastern Georgia from 1010 (effectively from 1014) to 1037 or 1039. Reign Kvirike succeeded upon the d ...

, replacing an older church of St. George. It is considered one of the four

Great Cathedrals Great Cathedrals () is a term used in historiography and architecture that refers to four large Georgian cathedrals built in the 10th and 11th centuries AD. The first of these cathedrals was Oshki, one of the most important architectural and re ...

of the Georgian Orthodox world.

History

The monastery was founded by the

Assyrian Assyrian may refer to: * Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia. * Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire. ** Early Assyrian Period ** Old Assyrian Period ** Middle Assyrian Empire ** Neo-Assyrian Empire * Assyrian ...

monk Joseph (Yoseb, Amba) Alaverdeli, who came from Antioch and settled in Alaverdi, then a small village and former pagan religious center dedicated to the Moon. At a height of over , Alaverdi Cathedral was the tallest religious building in Georgia, until the construction of the

Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi The Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi ( ka, თბილისის წმინდა სამების საკათედრო ტაძარი ''Tbilisis cminda samebis sakatedro tadzari''), commonly known as Sameba ( ka, სა� ...

, which was consecrated in 2004. However its overall size is smaller than the cathedral of

Svetitskhoveli The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral ( ka, სვეტიცხოვლის საკათედრო ტაძარი, ''svet'icxovlis sak'atedro t'adzari''; literally the Cathedral of the Living Pillar) is an Orthodox Christian cathedral located ...

Mtskheta Mtskheta ( ka, მცხეთა, tr ) is a city in Mtskheta-Mtianeti province of Georgia. It is one of the oldest cities in Georgia as well as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the World. Itis located approximately north of T ...

. The monastery is the focus of the annual religious celebration

Alaverdoba Alaverdoba ( ka, ალავერდობა) is a religious and folk celebration in the eastern Georgian province of Kakheti, with its roots in a harvest festival. It focuses on Alaverdi Cathedral from which it derives its name, with the suf ...

. Situated in the heart of the world's oldest

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

region, the monks also make their own wine, known as

Alaverdi Monastery Cellar Alaverdi or Allaverdy may refer to: * Alaverdi, Armenia, a town in the province of Lori, Armenia * Alaverdi Monastery, a Georgian Eastern Orthodox monastery in the region of Kakheti, Georgia (country) * HMCS ''Allaverdy'' (Fy 06), a patrol boat in ...

. The cellar has been dated to between the 10th and 12th centuries.

Burials

Ketevan of Kakheti Ketevan the Martyr ( ka, ქეთევან წამებული, tr) (c. 1560 – September 13, 1624) was a queen consort of Kakheti, a kingdom in eastern Georgia. She was regent of Kakheti during the minority of her son Teimuraz I of ...

Teimuraz I of Kakheti Teimuraz I ( ka, თეიმურაზ I) (1589–1663), of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a Georgian monarch who ruled, with intermissions, as King of Kakheti from 1605 to 1648 and also of Kartli from 1625 to 1633. The eldest son of David I and ...

References

{{Georgian Churches Georgian Orthodox monasteries World Heritage Tentative List

History

Burials

See also

References