Zedazeni is the most rewarding excursion from Mtskheta for visitors who want to get away from the town's main tourist circuit. The monastery sits on a forested ridge northeast of the town, above the Aragvi River, with views back down to the valley and the distinctive Jvari promontory across the confluence. Getting there involves a rough road — a 4WD or a determined walk of a few kilometers from the nearest accessible point.
The monastery was founded in the 6th century by one of the Thirteen Assyrian Fathers — the Syrian missionaries who spread Christianity through Georgia after its initial adoption by the court. The complex is modest in scale but genuinely remote-feeling, and the setting in the forest above the gorge is memorable. Combine with Mtskheta's main sites for a full day's outing.