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Vardzia (carved monastery and cave town)

Vardzia (carved monastery and cave town)

Cave

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260 km from Yerevan center

The cave city of Vardzia, founded in the 12th century, is rightfully regarded as one of Georgia's greatest historical monuments. Perched 1300 meters above sea level on the slopes of Mount Erusheti, it rises 100 meters above its base. In its prime, the complex amazed with its scale: up to 18 levels connected by a labyrinth of passages and tunnels. Inside its walls were dwellings, refectories, barns, libraries, and even wine cellars (marani) – all testifying to the advanced culture and daily life of its inhabitants. Vardzia boasted a system of water supply and sewage that made this subterranean city strikingly modern for its time.

The cave church of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin Mary, dating to the 1180s, during the Georgia's Golden Age, features an important series of wall frescoes, including depictions of the apostles of Jesus Christ, the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, the preachers of Christianity in Georgia and Georgian monarchs. It was a central spiritual and monumental center. Carved into the rock, with stone fortifications, the church features a spacious hall with a wide apse and a conch shell, covered by a barrel vault. The western adjoining room leads to another separate hall, which contains a tunnel ending in a pool of cold water.

Today Vardzia is part of the Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve and continues to awe visitors with the grandeur and skill of its ancient builders. Walking through its galleries feels like a journey back in time, offering a glimpse into how people lived and prayed here eight centuries ago. Vardzia remains not only a monument of architecture but also a symbol of the resilience and spiritual strength of the Georgian people.