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Geotour

Jvari Monastery

Tbilisi & Surroundings · Religion

Getting there
About 20 km (20–30 min) north of Tbilisi on the Mtskheta highway, then a short paved climb to the car park
Best time
Year-round
Recommended stay
30–60 minutes

About Jvari Monastery

Jvari Monastery stands on a rocky hilltop above Mtskheta, about 20 km north of Tbilisi, where the Aragvi river flows into the Mtkvari. The church, built around 590–605 on the spot where a wooden cross (jvari) was raised after Georgia's conversion to Christianity, is part of the UNESCO-listed Historical Monuments of Mtskheta. Inside you see the base of the cross; outside, carved donor reliefs and the classic view down to Mtskheta and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. A 30–45 minute visit, usually combined with Mtskheta itself.

Tours Including Jvari Monastery

See all 3 tours

Must-See Attractions

  • Great Church of Jvari

    The 6th–7th-century domed church with four apses, dark and simple inside.

  • Cross base

    The octagonal stone base inside the church, said to hold the remains of St Nino's original cross.

  • Facade reliefs

    Carved figures of the church's founders with early Georgian inscriptions on the outer walls.

  • Confluence viewpoint

    The terrace over the meeting of the Aragvi and Mtkvari, with Mtskheta and Svetitskhoveli below.

Nearby

  • Svetitskhoveli Cathedral

    The 11th-century cathedral in the centre of Mtskheta, 10 minutes by car.

  • Samtavro Monastery

    A convent in Mtskheta with the tomb of King Mirian and Queen Nana, 10 minutes by car.

  • Shiomgvime Monastery

    A 6th-century cave monastery in a limestone gorge, about 25 km west (35 min).

  • Mukhrani

    A wine village with the 19th-century Chateau Mukhrani estate, about 25 km north-west (30 min).

Location41.8386° N, 44.7336° EView on map

Good to know

Getting there

About 20 km (20–30 min) north of Tbilisi on the Mtskheta highway, then a short paved climb to the car park; about 10 minutes by road from central Mtskheta.

Best time

Year-round

Best time

Open all year; spring and autumn bring clear air for the view over Mtskheta, and early morning or late afternoon light is best for photos.

Recommended stay

30–60 minutes

Getting there

By car or taxi only; the access road leaves the Tbilisi–Mtskheta highway and climbs to a car park by the church.

Fees

Entry is free.

What to wear

Shoulders and knees covered; women cover their hair, and wraps are usually available at the gate.

Heads-up

The hilltop is windy and can be cold even when Tbilisi is warm.

Time needed

30–45 minutes.

History & culture

Culture

Jvari is an active church and a place of pilgrimage. Georgians know the view from its terrace from Mikhail Lermontov's poem 'Mtsyri', which opens with this landscape.

History

According to tradition, St Nino raised a large wooden cross on this hill in the 4th century, after King Mirian III accepted Christianity. Around 545 Guaram, ruler of Kartli, built a small church beside it, and in about 590–605 his son Stepanoz I built the present Great Church of Jvari over the cross. Its four-apse plan with a central dome became a model for many later churches in Georgia and Armenia. UNESCO listed it with the other monuments of Mtskheta in 1994.

Local Cuisine

On the road between Tbilisi and Mtskheta, salobie (bean houses) serve lobio baked in clay pots with mchadi (corn bread) and pickles; the Mukhrani valley nearby makes wine from Kartli grapes.

Accommodation

No accommodation at the monastery. Mtskheta has guesthouses and small hotels in the old town, but most travellers stay in Tbilisi, 30 minutes away.