At the touristic center of თბილისი, next to the city history museum and river Mtkwari you can find the Sioni cathedral some meters below todays street level. It is a classic Orthodox church building like you can find them throughout all of Transcaucasia – but for the Georgian Christians it is the most important sacred place dating back to the year 575 CE. It is named after Mount Zion, the temple mount in Jerusalem.
Don’t expect that the building is really close to 1,500 years old — it has been destroyed and reconstructed several times over the centuries. The oldest parts of the current building are from the 17th century. A visit to the cathedral is nevertheless a good idea because you can enjoy the beautiful architecture of these churches and the rich decorations inside. It is also said to contain two important relics: the skull of Thomas the apostle and the grapevine cross of saint Nino, a much appreciated saint that taught Christianity in Georgia.
თბილისის სიონი
Sioni cathedral
თბილისი / Tbilisi
Georgia
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