Monday, January 18, 2010

Mtskheta

Mtskheta is a small village about 15 kilometers to the west of Tblisi. Rita Prokopenko and friends took me to see a dramatically located monastery from about 600 A.D. remarkable for its stone work and its condition. It sits high above the confluence of the two rivers pictured--the Aragvi and the Mtkvari. We toured the monastery in a steady cold rain. Then we visited a much larger and younger cathedral in town (not pictured). We had a bit of soup and red wine in an frame looking buildings are in fact little rooms with a table, chairs and a fireplace at a resort called Salobia, famous for its Georgian lobia soup (made with kidney beans)(excellent). In mid afternoon we returned to Tblisi and visit the enormous Mtketi orthodox cathedral that sits on a hill looking down on the city.

3 comments:

  1. Don't know if you're getting email so I'll let you know here: Rabbi Milder passed away last night. CK will meet tonight, we will do our best to honor him.

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  2. I'm curious about the religions in the area. Was the monastery an Eastern Orthodox? Is it still active? What are the primary religious demographics in Georgia?

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  3. The photos of the monastery are incredible - as is the one of the confluence of the rivers. There is something quite intriguing to me about a man made structure that has stood this long - imagine all of the history it has been witness to. thank you for posting them.

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