Ikalto Monastery and Academy

Ikalto Monastery sits in a wooded hillside west of Telavi, a peaceful complex founded in the 6th century by one of the Thirteen Assyrian Fathers who brought Christianity to Georgia. The existing buildings mostly date from the 11th and 12th centuries, including a handsome three-nave basilica and the remains of the medieval academy that once operated here.

The ruined academy buildings are still visible adjacent to the church — stone structures that housed students, a library, and a winery (the Georgians understood that scholarship and wine were compatible pursuits). The site sees far fewer visitors than Alaverdi Cathedral to the east, which makes it a more contemplative stop. The monastery is still active, and monks tend the grounds and the surrounding vineyards.

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A story
The Academy of Ikalto was one of the most important centres of learning in the medieval Caucasus. The 12th-century poet Shota Rustaveli, author of Georgia's national epic The Knight in the Panther's Skin, is said to have studied here — though historians debate the details. What is not disputed is that the academy produced illuminated manuscripts, trained clergy, and preserved classical learning at a time when much of Europe was doing much less.