Day 46, 15 July 2012 Tbilisi to Batumi

We started our day with a half day tour around Tbilisi old town before we heads to Batumi.

Metekhi is a historical district of Tibilisi in Georgia which is located on the hilly areas above river Mtkvari . The district is one of the oldest areas around the city of Tibilisi. 

Metekhi Church

Narikala Fortress

Equestrian statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali

Sameba Cathedral is the religious center of Georgia . Its construction took 7 years and was finished in 2003. Holy Trinity church is one of the grandiose churches in the orthodox  world.

Sameba Cathedral 

Our guide Keti inside the beautiful Sameba Cathedral 

Svetitskhoveli, known as the burial site of Christ's mantle, has long been the principal Georgian church and remains one of the most venerated places of worship to this day.

The current cathedral was built in the 11th century by the Georgian architect Arsukisdze, though the site itself is even older dating back to the early 4th century and is surrounded by a number of legends associated primarily with the early Christian traditions.

The place where Sidonia is buried with Christ's robe is preserved in the Cathedral

According to Georgian hagiography, in the 1st century AD a Georgian Jew from Mtskheta named Elias was in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified. Elias bought Jesus’ robe from a Roman soldier at Golgotha and brought it back to Georgia. Returning to his native city, he was met by his sister Sidonia who upon touching the robe immediately died from the emotions engendered by the sacred object. The robe could not be removed from her grasp, so she was buried with it.

Georgian bride

 

The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is one of the most venerated places of worship for Georgian Orthodox Christians

Evening in Batumi