Jvari Monastery

Jvari Monastery tickets: which one to buy

Jvari Monastery stands on a rocky mountain top above the town of Mtskheta, at the meeting of the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers, about twenty kilometres north of Tbilisi, Georgia, and entry is free. It is one of the most important sites in Georgian Christianity and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta, together with the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and the Samtavro Monastery in the town below.

Most visitors come on a half-day tour from Tbilisi that combines Jvari with Mtskheta, often continuing along the Georgian Military Highway to Ananuri and Kazbegi. A car or taxi is needed to reach the monastery, as the road climbs the mountain. The view over the rivers and Mtskheta is spectacular. The monastery is an active church, and visitors should dress modestly, with women covering their heads. Taxis from Mtskheta to Jvari and back can be arranged at the town's main parking area.

Visiting Jvari Monastery: what to see

According to tradition, Saint Nino, who brought Christianity to Georgia in the fourth century, erected a large wooden cross on this mountain top on the site of a pagan temple, and the cross was believed to work miracles, attracting pilgrims from across the Caucasus. A small church was built beside the cross in the sixth century, and between 590 and 605 the larger church of Jvari, meaning cross, was built over the site. It is a masterpiece of early Georgian architecture, with a tetraconch plan, four apses around a central dome, and it became a model for many churches in Georgia and Armenia. The exterior walls carry relief carvings of donors and angels, including an Ascension of the Cross on the south facade.

Inside, the church is simple and dim, and at its centre stands the base of the original cross, covered with a wooden cross. The poet Mikhail Lermontov described the monastery in his poem Mtsyri. The church's exterior walls carry inscriptions in Georgian script naming its founders. The windows are small, and light falls in narrow beams onto the stone floor. The courtyard wall, rebuilt in the Middle Ages, surrounds the church on the cliff edge. A small shop sells candles, icons and crosses. The platform beside the church gives the classic view of the confluence of the two rivers, the turquoise Aragvi meeting the muddy Mtkvari. The mountain slopes around the monastery are covered with grass and wildflowers in spring.

Jvari Monastery opening hours and the best time to go

The monastery is open daily, from morning until evening. Weekends bring many Georgian visitors, wedding parties and tourists, and mornings on weekdays are quieter. The views are best on clear days, which are more common in spring and autumn; summer can be hot and hazy. Svetitskhovloba, the festival of Mtskheta in October, brings celebrations to the town below. Winter can be cold and windy on the mountain top. Allow about half an hour for Jvari, and descend to Mtskheta to visit Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. Mtskheta's streets below the monastery have stalls selling churchkhela, the Georgian walnut and grape juice sweet.