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Geotour

Bodbe

Kakheti · Religion

Getting there
About 115 km (2 h) from Tbilisi on paved roads via Sagarejo, then 2 km from Sighnaghi
Best time
Year-round
Recommended stay
30 minutes–1.5 hours

About Bodbe

Bodbe is a working convent 2 km from Sighnaghi in Kakheti, about 115 km (2 h) from Tbilisi, and the burial place of St Nino, who brought Christianity to Georgia in the 4th century. Her tomb lies in a small basilica first built between the 9th and 11th centuries, set among cypress trees and flower gardens with a wide view over the Alazani valley to the Caucasus. From the convent a long, steep path of steps leads down to St Nino's Spring, where pilgrims collect water and bathe.

Tours Including Bodbe

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Must-See Attractions

  • St Nino's tomb

    The saint's grave lies inside the small basilica, where pilgrims queue to pray.

  • Gardens and viewpoint

    The convent terraces look over the Alazani valley to the Greater Caucasus, clearest on autumn and spring mornings.

  • Bell tower

    The three-storey bell tower of 1862–85 at the entrance to the convent.

  • St Nino's Spring

    A chapel at the foot of a long flight of steps below the convent, where pilgrims fill bottles and bathe in a small font.

Nearby

  • Sighnaghi

    The walled hilltop town above the Alazani valley, 2 km (5 min) away.

  • Tsinandali Estate

    The 19th-century Chavchavadze estate and winery, about 50 km (1 h) north.

  • David Gareja

    The cave monastery on the Azerbaijan border, about 2 hours by road via Sagarejo.

Location41.6066° N, 45.9334° EView on map

Good to know

Getting there

About 115 km (2 h) from Tbilisi on paved roads via Sagarejo, then 2 km from Sighnaghi.

Best time

Year-round

Best time

Spring and autumn give the clearest views of the Caucasus and the gardens are in flower from April to June, while summer afternoons are hot on the walk back up from the spring.

Recommended stay

30 minutes–1.5 hours

What to wear

Bodbe is a working convent: shoulders and knees covered, women cover their hair; wrap-skirts and scarves are usually lent at the gate.

Walking

The path down to St Nino's Spring is steep, with many steps; allow 20–30 minutes each way, more for the climb back.

Fees

Entry is free.

Time needed

30 minutes for the church and gardens, 1–1.5 hours with the spring.

Timing

Go early in the day, before the tour groups.

History & culture

Culture

Bodbe is one of the most important pilgrimage sites of the Georgian Orthodox Church. Pilgrims from all over Georgia come to pray at St Nino's tomb and to bathe in the cold water of the spring below the convent, which local legend says appeared through Nino's prayers.

History

According to Georgian tradition, St Nino withdrew to the Bodbe gorge after the conversion of King Mirian III and died here around 338–340; the king ordered a church built over her grave. The present basilica dates from the 9th–11th centuries and was rebuilt several times, notably in the 17th and 19th centuries; it was repaired and painted with new murals in 1823. The free-standing three-storey bell tower was built between 1862 and 1885. The Soviet authorities closed the monastery in 1924, and it reopened as a convent in 1991.

Accommodation

The convent does not take guests. Sighnaghi, 5 minutes away, has many guesthouses, family hotels and a few larger hotels.