Jvari Monastery

6th-century monastery on a promontory above Mtskheta's river confluence

Jvari — "cross" in Georgian — sits on a rocky promontory above the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers, directly overlooking Mtskheta. The monastery dates from the 6th century and is one of the oldest surviving churches in Georgia. Its compact stone form and dramatic hilltop position have made it an enduring symbol of the country.

The view from the terrace is the main reason to make the climb: Mtskheta spread below, the two rivers meeting, and the Caucasus ridges beyond. It's a short drive or a steep walk from town. Lermontov used this spot as the setting for his famous poem "Mtsyri."

things to do sight church
A story
Saint Nino, who brought Christianity to Georgia around 337 AD, is said to have erected a wooden cross on this hilltop — a pagan high place — shortly after the king's conversion. The cross reportedly performed miracles and drew pilgrims for two centuries before Prince Stepanoz I built the stone church around it in the 580s. The poet Lermontov, exiled to the Caucasus by Tsar Nicholas I, set his 1839 poem "Mtsyri" here; his young novice narrator stares from this terrace at the confluence below and dreams of escaping to freedom.