Churches to Visit in Georgia
Georgia claims to have adopted Christianity as a state religion in the early 4th century, making it one of the very oldest Christian nations on Earth — and its churches carry that history in strikingly different ways. One is a national cathedral built, tradition insists, over the buried robe of Christ, where kings were crowned and are still buried. The other is a bare stone chapel with no road to its door, perched on a mountainside below one of the Caucasus's great peaks. Between them they cover most of what makes Georgian church-going distinctive: an ancient, theologically independent Orthodox tradition, dramatic landscape, and a national identity bound up tightly with Christian history.
The Georgian Orthodox Church is autocephalous — self-governing, with its own Patriarch — and traces its roots to the mission of St Nino, a woman credited with converting King Mirian III in the early 4th century, a story that runs directly through both churches in this guide. Georgian church architecture has its own vocabulary too, most recognisably the cross-in-square plan with a tall central drum and conical dome, built in undressed or lightly dressed stone rather than the brick and elaborate stonework of Western Gothic. Nothing here looks quite like an English cathedral or a Czech baroque church, and that's a large part of the appeal.
Where to start
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
Georgia's coronation cathedral in Mtskheta, said to stand over the buried robe of Christ and the resting place of around ten Georgian kings.
Gergeti Trinity Church
A 14th-century mountain church at 2,170 metres below Mount Kazbek, reached by 4x4 or a steep hike, and once a hiding place for relics fleeing invasion.
Practical notes for the whole country
| Opening hours | Most Georgian churches have no fixed published hours and are simply open from early morning to early evening; access can close temporarily during services, which happen often and without much advance notice for visitors |
|---|---|
| Admission | Free at both sites in this guide, and at the great majority of churches and monasteries across Georgia — donation boxes are common, formal entry fees are not |
| Dress code | Taken seriously: women generally need a headscarf and a skirt or wrap covering the knees, men need long trousers rather than shorts. Wraps are often available to borrow at the door, but supplies run out on busy days, so it's worth carrying your own |
| Photography | Usually fine outside and often fine inside for personal, non-flash use, but rules vary by site — Gergeti Trinity Church does not allow photography inside the church itself, for example |
| Getting around | Tbilisi is the natural base for both churches in this guide. Mtskheta is a 20–30-minute drive or marshrutka ride away; Kazbegi (Stepantsminda), for Gergeti Trinity Church, is a dramatic 2.5–3-hour drive along the Georgian Military Highway, best done as an overnight trip or a very long day |
Both churches
- Svetitskhoveli Cathedral Georgia's UNESCO-listed coronation cathedral in Mtskheta, and the legendary resting place of Christ's robe.
- Gergeti Trinity Church The isolated 14th-century church below Mount Kazbek, reached by 4x4 or a steep mountain hike.
Pair it with Armenia
Georgia and Armenia sit side by side in the Caucasus, and their churches make a natural double bill: two of the world's oldest national Christian traditions, theologically distinct from one another — Georgian Orthodoxy is Eastern Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic Christianity is Oriental Orthodox — but sharing a similar sense of scale, age and mountain setting. Many travellers combine Tbilisi with Yerevan on a single Caucasus itinerary; the crossing between the two countries can be done by land or a short flight.
See the guide to churches in Armenia →
Coming next
This first Georgia chapter covers two of the country's essential churches; more of Georgia's extraordinary religious architecture — Jvari Monastery, Bagrati Cathedral, the cave city of Vardzia and others — is on the list for later, built the same way as the rest of this guide — one region finished at a time, rather than published half-done everywhere at once.