Gelati Monastery

Since the retreat of the controversial Bagrati Cathedral, Gelati Monastery can shine in its own right. And what a sight this is. Its wall paintings are overwhelming and intriguing at the same time, because the depicted people far exceed the average list of Christian holy figures. They show saints and historical figures from Georgia and the Byzantine empire in their most beautiful clothing.

The 12th-century Gelati Monastery dates back to the Golden Age of medieval Georgia. The complex consists of 3 churches, a free-standing bell tower and an academy building. It was for a long time the cultural center of Georgia, with its own academy where the best scientists, theologians and philosophers worked.

From the center of Kutaisi, a minibus leaves 5 times a day directly to this monastery. It starts from a small parking lot with some other local minibusses at the back of Meskhishvili Theatre. The ride costs 1 lari (0.30 EUR). The 4 pm bus that I took only transported women: a few living along the route who had gone shopping in the city, another tourist and me. We two were the only ones that remained on the bus til the end. You can already see the monastery from a distance, on a hill amongst the greenery. The drive takes only a short 20 minutes.

The complex has the (for Georgia) usual set of souvenir and snack stalls in the parking lot. A small courtyard contains the 3 churches, the bell tower and the …

Our group from Switzerland visited both places this September. We were happy to see that Bagrati Cathedral shows no more outward signs of damage. We were even spontaneously given a little concert of Georgian songs by four men in traditional costumes.

As for Gelati Monastery, it was a great joy that the academy building was completely restored, including a solid roof. So it was easy to picture the academic life of those times.

After visiting Azerbeidzjan, we continued our trip to Georgia. Wonderful Mtskheta and in Kutaisi: Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery. The construction inside Bagrati Cathedral to restore the building is perfect, but outside, left from the entrance it is awful

We've visited Bagrati Cathedral yesterday. The restoration process is coming full force, transforming the building. During my last visit, the church had no roof. Now, the roof is done and building is almost reconstructed. I really enjoyed the "original" no roof look. Now, it looks just like any other church in the area.

Bagrati Cathedral was a beautiful experience. Our church plans a mission trip every year to the Republic of Georgia to help out orphanges and we always visit Bagrati Cathedral because it is such a beautiful place. We do not have anything like this in the USA. I was so impressed with the architecture and at night our group went up there at sunset and we took candles because there is no electricity. What an awsome experience. We met many native Georgians that night and made many new friends. This will be a place we will always return to because of the many wonderful memories there. I found this quote that I thought was very fitting to Bagrati.

C. S. Lewis once said “that all churches should be roofless, for this very reason: worshipers would be overcome by the world God has fashioned rather than shut up in their man-made boxes.”

Warren Dent

Atlanta, Georgia

The “double headed” WHS of “Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery” consists of a ruined (in 1691 by the Turks) Cathedral of the 10th to 11th centuries in the town of Kutaisi and a (still functioning) monastery complex built between the 12th to 17 centuries situated in the countryside some 12kms away.

Apart from the geographical proximity and the fact that, taken together, the 2 buildings represent a long and continuous period of Georgian religious architecture, I know of no reason why they are linked together in a single WHS.

Even in “shell” form the cathedral is an enormous building. It is named after Bagrat III the first king of united Georgia and is no doubt of considerable architectural interest. I also understand the comments made by another reviewer about the open roof not necessarily detracting from its religious impact (UNESCO has severely criticised the idea, apparently floated in the early 90’s, presumably as some sort of “Georgian independence celebration”, of rebuilding the Cathedral!). I however did not find the building and its setting particularly inspiring.

I personally far preferred the Gelati complex. It is beautifully set in countryside of woods and fields of greenest hue. A stream runs through the grounds and the ensemble of 2 main buildings complement each other superbly. The interior contains many fine mosaics and frescos. We had the place to ourselves. (Visited Aug 2000)