Telavi Monasteries: Alaverdi-Ikalto-Shuamta

We will visit one of the most beautiful parts of Georgia, motherland of wine - Kakheti. Telavi is the capital of Kakheti region. There is the 900-years old plane tree – the oldest tree in Georgia. Alaverdi - the cathedral of the first quarter of the 11th century and the monastery complex. The height of the cathedral is about 50 m, the height of the internal space is over 42 m. Before the construction of the Holy Thrinity cathedral in Tbilisi, the Alaverdi Cathedral was the highest church building in Georgia. The Ikalto monastery was founded by Saint Zenon, one of the 13 Syrian Fathers, in the late 6th century. It was known as one of the most significant cultural-scholastic centers of Georgia. An academy was founded at the monastery during king David the Builder by Arsen Ikaltoeli (Ikaltoeli means - from Ikalto) in the early 12th century. Shuamta is a Kakheti monastery in the Gombori mountains.