Tskhavati is a remote mountain village in the Ksani Gorge of Shida Kartli, in the Akhalgori district of Georgia. The main reason to come here is the Tskhavati Monastery, set in a wooded clearing outside the village.
The monastery complex includes a 9th-century main church, a smaller 10th-century church, and a two-storey bell tower. The main church retains fragments of 14th-century frescoes and has decorative crosses carved into the western facade. The buildings are in poor condition — the vault of the main church has collapsed and the walls are cracked, though conservation work has been underway. A few kilometres deeper into the gorge, the Largvisi Monastery is a second medieval foundation worth visiting on the same trip, though access depends on the current security situation near the South Ossetia boundary.
This is not an easy place to reach, and you are unlikely to find other visitors. The setting, in the mountains above the gorge, is the reward.