gelati monastery

Great Monastery to visit, very interesting spot, the grave of the first Georgian king David who united the Georgians, the academy, the chapel, the monastery itself. The road is a little windy with great views!

Very nice painings on walls, nice architecture, great history - must to see it.Easy to get from Kutaisi centre by "marshrutka" behind the theater.

Gorgeous monastery on a hilltop with great views over Kutaisi. Monastery recently reconstructed to its former glory. I only minded that huge brown addition to the main complex, what where they thinking? It doesn't fit there at all. At least it's not visible from all sides...

The Monastery is surrounded by the spectacular mountains and the landscape is actually impressive. It is very interesting and mystical place. So if you will be in Kutaisi you should visit this place.

Monastery and it's sorroundings makes great impression, fresques from XII century are so amazing that I think I won't forget it for my whole life.

Nice monastery, nice view, we weren’t that impressed but we weren’t disappointed eitherPay attention, the entrance to the complex is very slippery…

This is an important site, part of Georgia (and world) heritage. The painted walls in the cathedral are also interesting to see. Hope the restoration work will be finished soon,

I think it is my duty to come to this place. Here it was that David the Builder established perhaps the first University in the World. For one thing he chose an Amazing site for it. Just the view gives you a new way of looking at the world. The buildings are wonderful to be in . The Frescoes are treasures in their own right. To the right of the door as you leave , is the scene of Herod washing his hands of the case of the Nazarene. It is just one of meany masterpieces Christ is being led by a rope around his neck . Herod is dressed in Mongol robes. There are so many lessons for the critical observer that they overwhelm you. Here they taught the Trivium and the Quadrivium. I felt inspired by the effort that has been expended here and spread out across the World.

Made famous by David the Builder this 12th century Monastery was the burial place of Georgian rulers. The church is decorated with some nice frescos, mosaics and enamel work. Monastery is perched on a hill among the fields and cows.

This Monastery is in our opinion, one of the best (if not the best) we have seen in Georgia. To visit this place you can stay in Kutaisi and pay 20-30 Lari to visit the Monastery with a Taxi or stay close to Gelati. It is only 20min in a taxi. The place dated of the 1080 a.d. And part of the world heritage is quite well preserved but still keeping the essence of the original. Next to the Monastery there is a little church and the academy (totally rebuilt except the walls). Inside the main building try to get into the black door on your left after the entrance, interesting hidden room, still to be repaired. Also there is another room behind a red piece a fabric in one of the sides (straight and left after entrance). Leaving this building, turn to the left and go straight until the kind of wall door. You can see a very unique and very old iron door. Check the roof style of the whole complex. Enjoy it!

Gelati is one of the much see places around Kutaisi and did not disappoint - well worth the visit - highly recommended even if you are not a religious tourist

Gelati Monastery, eulogized as the " New Athens" and " the Second Jerusalem". was one of the greatest spiritual and cultural centers of Georgia in the Middle Age. The monastery was founded by King davit Agmashenebeli (1089-1125) in 1106.At the monastery there functioned an academy, where there lived and worked outstanding Georgian scientists, philosophers and theologians.Since 14th century Gelati has been an Episcopal Cathedral. central building of the Monastery is a central cupola church of the Virgin. Its interior is covered with paintings of different times. After apse is decorated with a brilliant mosaic composition of a standing Virgin holding the Child with archangels on her sides dated to 1125-1130. In the western narthex there are mural paintings of 12th century depicting seven ecumenical councils. Most of the murals in the Gelati were executed in the second half of 16th century.Other architectural monuments of Gelati Monastery are of 12th and 14th centuries. These are:the Academy, Church of St. George, interior of which was painted in XVI century, a two storied building of the Church of St. Nicholas and bell tower, one of the oldest in Georgia. Gelati Monastery was also a burial vault of Georgian Kings. At the Southern gates of the wall of monastery was a grave of King David.Since 1994 Gelati Monastery has been inscribed upon the world heritage List of the Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

The main place to visit is the Cathedral of the Virgin, built by King David the builder in 1106-25 - lots of historic interest here, and not to be missed inside, one of Georgia's greatest works of art, the 2.5 million stone mosaic of the Virgin and Child with archangels Michael and Gabriel. In lovely setting high above Kutaisi in the hills to the North, with lovely views around.

Well, we hired a driver and spent a whole day visiting things around Kutaisi - Gelati is one of the musts apparently and very important to the locals as well as the tourists. I mean... it was nice, but no information about the place and there didn't seem to be anywhere to buy a guidebook so we were a bit lost about exactly why it's so important, except for one paragraph in our Lonely Planet guidebook. It's quite far outside the centre, so my suggestion is - if you want to see it, do what we did and plan to see everything around in one day and hire a driver. We were in Georgia during the low season, so it only cost us 25 euro for the driver. It was worth it.

David the builder is buried here since 1125 and this church is dedicated to him. Unesco world heritage site. A modern restored school but most of it is magnificent following a 19th century cleaning and restoration after the Germans whitewashed the frescos in the 1800s. Beautiful. It does have scaffolding in the middle as they are restoring the ceiling.