Samtavisi Cathedral

According to a Georgian tradition, the first monastery on this place was founded by the Assyrian missionary Isidore in 572 and later rebuilt in the 10th century.

The earliest extant structures date to the eleventh century, the main edifice being built in 1030 as revealed by a now lost stone inscription.

The cathedral was built by a local bishop and a skillful architect Hilarion, the son of Vane Kanchaeli, who also authored the nearby church of Ashuriani.

The Cathedral was heavily damaged by a series of earthquakes, when the dome and partially the western wall and the pillars collapsed.

It illustrates a Georgian interpretation of the cross-in-square form which set an example for many churches built in the heyday of medieval Georgia.

In contrast to earlier Georgian churches, the drum of the dome is taller surmounted by a conical roof.

Artistically, the most rounded portion of the church is its five-arched eastern façade, dominated by the two niches and enlivened by a bold ornate cross motif, which is a harmonic continuation of dynamic arcading.

The central axis of the façade has a high cross, ornamented window and rather characteristic motif of two rombs, copied in later churches.

Western and eastern façades have inscriptions, telling about the construction year and the architect, and the subsequent reconstruction.

Multifigure Eucharist is found in the upper part of the apse, and below it, bishops with open scrolls and deacons.