Gelati Monastery Medieval Academy UNESCO
Visit Gelati Monastery, Georgia's greatest medieval monument and UNESCO World Heritage Site, where King David the Builder established a center of learning in the 12th century that became the intellectual heart of the Georgian Golden Age.
- 1
Monastery Approach Road
Drive the forested road to Gelati through countryside that King David the Builder crossed when founding his monastery in 1106, the setting chosen for its beauty and isolation from the medieval capital of Kutaisi below.
- 2
Cathedral of the Virgin
Enter the Cathedral of the Virgin begun in 1106, its interior covered with extraordinary mosaics including the magnificent apse mosaic depicting the Virgin and Child flanked by the Archangels, one of the finest surviving examples of medieval Georgian mosaic art.
- 3
Academy Ruins
See the ruins of the medieval Gelati Academy, one of the most important educational institutions in the medieval Caucasus, where philosophers, scientists, and theologians studied under scholars who translated Greek and Arabic texts into Georgian.
- 4
King David's Tomb
Pay respects at the tomb of King David the Builder, Georgia's greatest medieval monarch, whose wish to be buried at Gelati's gate — so that worshippers would walk over him — expressed a remarkable humility in a conqueror who reunified Georgia.
- 5
Bell Tower
Climb to or view the monastery bell tower that still rings for services, its position within the complex designed to create the visual and acoustic environment that makes Gelati one of the most atmospherically complete medieval monastic sites in the Caucasus.
- 6
Monastery Walls Panorama
Walk the monastery walls where views over the forested Tskaltsitela River valley below give a sense of the landscape that inspired David the Builder to establish his great monument to Georgian Christianity and learning here.