Holy Georgia: towards St Nino's tomb via Ananuri

view from our hotel of the Caucasian mountain range

hats for sale at Ananuri!

fine exterior of the Assumption of the
Mother of God Church, Ananuri

This is the story of our pilgrimage to Holy Georgia back in May this year, with Southwark Diocese and McCabe Pilgrimages. It is Ascension Day, Thursday 29th May, and we have our usual morning prayer on the bus as we set off south from our hotel high in the Caucasus mountains and then eastwards towards Bodbe Monastery, one of the major pilgrimage spots for Christian Georgians, where St Nino is buried. St Nino was a slave from Cappadocia. She so impressed the Georgian Queen Nana and later her husband King Mirian with her miracles that they both converted from paganism to Christianity, and this became the official state religion in AD 337, making Georgia the world's second Christian nation. St Nino's tomb is a sacred place for many Georgians. But it wasn't until the arrival in the sixth century of the so-called Syrian Fathers, missionaries from Antioch, who worked to found several monasteries here, that the religion became firmly established in Georgia. We will visit a few of these monasteries in the next day or so.

Old Georgian script? What does it say?

Our first important stop today is at the 17th century Ananuri fortress, already closed for the day when we came by in the evening two days before, on the Georgian Military Highway. We saw its stunning setting then, but up close it really is very beautiful indeed. As we climb out of the coach the warmth of the sun is welcome after the bitter chill we experienced yesterday up in the mountains. Within the protection of the crenellated stone walls here are two churches, a 12th century watch tower, a 17th century bell turret looking out over the lake, and at the top of the slope a solid tower known as "The Intrepid".

Our guide Maka has the Dean's attention!

Bell tower overlooking the reservoir

The lower of the two churches is really the jewel. It was built in 1689 and is dedicated to the Assumption of the Mother of God. Our attention is immediately drawn to the fantastic external carved decorations, particularly those on the south wall. Inside, and also on the south wall are frescoes of the Last Judgment and of various saints, including thirteen Syrian Fathers, other fine frescoes having been destroyed by fire in the 18th century during the church's turbulent history. By the bell turret I see some steps going down to what I learn was a hiding place for soldiers to lurk and take intruders by surprise in the turbulent past.

the hiding place for soldiers

The smaller of the two churches, the Hvtaeba church, is early 17th century, with frescoes badly damaged, sadly, by graffiti, mainly Russian. It is dark in there but with someone's torch we are able to make out some of that dreadful graffiti on the underside of a frescoed arch.

sad graffiti over frescoes

The tranquil setting belies the history of this site, involved as it was in many past wars. It is hugely photogenic here and we become tourists as we are anxious to take the ultimate beautiful shot!
We meet an English couple in the car park here. They have a motor home and have spent a couple of months exploring Turkey before coming into Georgia and will eventually drive back to London to see their son. I mention the shame of the litter. He shrugs; it's a fact of life, he says. Why do we all have to be so defeatist? Let's stem the flow of litter and not accept the trashing of God's beautiful planet, in Georgia or anywhere else!

view over the reservoir

It is time to say goodbye to Ananuri and move on, towards the fortified town of Sighnaghi and the Church of St Nino at the Bodbe convent…

Holy Georgia pilgrimage: the Georgian Military Highway and trip to Kuzbegi

"I believe you have seen the Georgian Military Road, too. If you have not been there yet, pawn your wives and children …and go. I have never in my life seen anything like it. It is not a road, but unbroken poetry, a wonderful, fantastic story written by the Demon in love with Tamara." Thus writes Anton Chekhov to N. A. Leikin, from "The Letters of Anton Chekhov" which he wrote to his family and friends.

Zhinvali Reservoir

We are pilgrims on a journey, and we are travelling towards the north on that very same Highway, from Kutaisi via Tbilisi in Georgia, so I have no need to pawn my children, husband or anyone else! There is certainly much to see on the journey and there is some very beautiful scenery. We're following the course of the River Aragvi flowing fast across the plain to our right. A calf has just been born, wobbling uncertainly on its gangly legs as it searches for its mother's milk. (My father, a research scientist and agnostic dairy farmer, never failed to be moved by the wonder of new life arriving in this way). Soon we approach the place where the river has been dammed, to create the massive Zhinvali Reservoir.

mountain view from our hotel

We climb high above the dam and the road gets very twisty before coming down again at the north western tip of the reservoir where there stands the idyllically situated 17th century fortress complex of Ananuri. Amazingly, this was going to be destroyed by the flooding when the dam was built. The hamlet itself, which stood below the fortress, was largely destroyed and relocated further north, but common sense and local campaigning saved the fortress with its churches and watchtower - and what a good job. The complex is now closed so we cannot stop to see it, but we will pass this way again in a couple of days.

Caucasian Shepherd Dog

Today we continue our climb in the coach, past the Ananuri church complex into the mountains. It is a fantastic hairpin road at this point, with sloping green meadows on either side looking just like green felt in the evening sunlight. Someone corrects me on this. No, he says, green felt looks like the mountain sides here; God's Creation came first! How true. We climb higher and higher with stunning views to the valley below and the pink tinge of the setting sun contrasts with the brilliant white of the snow sitting on some of the highest peaks. The recent heavy rain this area has experienced is not only evidenced in the muddy appearance of many of the rivers, but also now by a large landslip which has been cleared away from the road ahead of us.
We arrive extremely tired after a very busy and long day. But the hotel we are to stay in for two nights is a fabulous ski resort hotel with huge rooms, many on two levels, and all with varying views of the mountains around. Most people also have a balcony. I don't! There are already 6 coaches parked around the front of the hotel. But the hotel can cope admirably with these numbers. We are strictly too late for the evening meal but they have kept a table for us in the restaurant and there is a large buffet-style spread of what may be described as "international" food. This is the first time on our trip that we have not had traditional Georgian fare, and this is a shame. It is clear that the hotel caters for large groups from Austria, Germany, and the rest of Europe and in trying to please everyone ends up perhaps pleasing very few? Some go so far as to describe the food as "woeful." They certainly cater little for vegetarians. There was never a veggie option among the hot dishes and I always had to make the best I could from the salad buffet range. When I asked the serving staff for a "veggie" option I was offered pasta and potato - in all seriousness!! And they had not heard of gluten free or wheat free diets. I gave up on that one and brought my supply of rice cakes and oat cakes down to the dining room for each meal.
It must be said that I was getting a little tired of my continual diet of tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese and hard boiled eggs for both breakfast and supper! Never mind. We certainly don't have to go hungry, and the accommodation is superbly comfortable. and we certainly never go hungry.

appalling litter at the Friendship Monument

I am wide awake at 6am, after an excellent night's sleep, to the sound of a cuckoo flying around the valley below, his distinctive call loud and clear. I walk out into the grounds and marvel at the meadows around the hotel thick with wild orchids - I don't know which ones…
The itinerary for today tells us that "we walk up through beautiful valleys and woodland to Gergeti (or Trinity) Church, at 2170m." This makes it sound like a stroll, and does not in any way adequately prepare us for what lies ahead! Our guide, who is considerably younger and fitter than many of us, tells us to wear comfortable shoes, carry walking poles if we have them and for the ladies to wear skirts as the church/monastery is very traditional and trousers will definitely be frowned upon. It is a 2 1/2 hour climb up, we are told, to the highest Orthodox Church in the world. Coming down will take us just 1 1/2 hours (assuming we have the energy!).

The Friendship Monument

So as soon as we have finished breakfast we all pile into our coach again heading for Kazbegi and the beginning of our walk. We take the road north towards the Russian border, the only direct route linking Russia in the north with Armenia to the south. It is just 18km from Kazbegi to the Russian border. This road is now normally very busy with huge trucks transporting products south to Armenia, but at the moment a large landslip has blocked the way further north and the trucks are temporarily idle - we saw quite a few parked up in the valley below on our way here last night - good for us but not for trade.

Panoramic mountain view from the Friendship Monument

huge flocks of sheep are common here

We soon stop to see the Friendship Monument, erected in the early 1980s as a symbol of 200 years of friendship between Russia and Georgia. I am not really sure what to make of this monument, given for example the 2008 South Ossetia War between Russia and Georgia and the huge numbers of Georgian citizens displaced by Russia into refugee camps which we have seen along our pilgrimage route. The central female figure in the monument represents Russia, holding the child Georgia. The Georgians like the Russians, our guide tells us, and they welcome the Russians visiting on holiday here. But it is the Russian government that no-one likes! More information on the scenes depicted on the monument can be found elsewhere. Whatever our personal views, it's a great lookout point for the surrounding Caucasian Mountains. We are now above 2000 meters, in the alpine zone, and the views around are stunning. But the litter tumbling down the slopes away from the monument is appalling. What a blot on the otherwise beautiful landscape, and offensive to my eyes. Some don't even seem to notice it. I take photos and resolve to write to someone about it. But who do I write to?
The sheep farmers here use horses to control the large flocks. The horses have very colorful saddles and make a pretty picture against the mountain back drop. Today must be sheep market day as we see many different flocks all being shepherded into one large enclosure, presumably in preparation for auction.

the shepherd with his horse

If it were not for the housing one could think we were in Switzerland, the scenery being so similar. But the housing here is mostly poor, in sharp contrast to the pristine chalets we see in the Swiss and Austrian Alps, and at least in Switzerland I was struck earlier this year by the litter free and clean towns and villages.
Leaving the monument, we climb to 2395 meters, the highest part of the pass we have been over. Our guide is disappointed that we cannot see the Kuzbegi mountain peak, covered in cloud. There can be up to 2 meters of snow up here in the winter and tunnels are built across the roads to help protect the roads from avalanches. The snow melts clearly bring down much debris, seen in the scree and large boulders along the road side. There are some fantastic geological formations, some resembling the basalt Giant Causeway in Eire. And big black birds of prey wheel high above us. We descend again towards Kazbegi and will soon be taking that walk "up through beautiful valleys and woodland to Gergeti (or Trinity) Church, at 2170m"….Many of us are hardly prepared for what is to come! ....

Holy Georgia - The Cave City of Uplistsikhe

Sculptures(?)  in a field near Gori

The River Mtkvari on the way to Uplistsikhe

The Cave City of Uplistsikhe dates back to the 1st millennium BC and is built horizontally into the sandstone over an area of approximately 10 hectares, making full use of the original natural cave system. It sits on a hill overlooking the Mtkvari river and was an important trade center from at least the fifth century BC, later part of the historic Silk Road until the 12th century AD, linking with other Silk Road settlements such as those of Gori, Kaspi and Mtskheta. This was a pagan city originally, the pagan temples destroyed when Christianity came to the area and so Pagan and Christian architecture coexists here. It was at one stage in its history inhabited by monks, until it was destroyed in the 13th century by the Mongol raids. There was some earthquake damage in medieval times and the ravages of weather and tourism have both taken their toll - but there is still much to see, rewarding us for the slightly challenging climb in the late afternoon heat … remnants of a theatre, wine cellars, a water reservoir, the main street, and a basilica all created out of the rock. On top of the hill is a 9th - 10th century stone and brick Christian Basilica. Many fine archaeological artifacts found here, including silver, bronze and gold jewelry, are safely held in the Tbilisi National Museum, which I visit on our last day here in beautiful Caucasian Georgia.

Our intrepid Dean leading the way at Uplistsikhe!

We are Christian pilgrims from the Anglican Diocese of Southwark in London, following in the steps of St Nino and the Syrian fathers.

Looking up towards the Basilica on the hill top

Tamar's Hall

We now have a long drive to our hotel for the next two nights to be spent high up in the Caucasus Mountains. Fortunately the weather is kind, the evening sunshine beautiful, the scenery endlessly fascinating. Here between Gori and Tblisi we see quite large herds of cows being led back from milking. There are still no obvious field boundaries except where clearly demarcated by the different arable crops being grown, mostly "greens" of some sort including plenty of spinach for the delicious dishes they make out of that humble but nutritious leaf. Some of these plots are quite large and yet are still being worked by hand; men are to be seen hoeing and weeding between rows. Cows wonder seemingly unconcerned along the edge of the fast main road, perilously close to the traffic. As we approach Tbilisi some fencing off of fields can be seen and the farming seems to be on a larger and more mechanical scale. Large flocks of sheep are seen, the first I have observed here. There are several huge irrigation bars in one of the fields - for covering large areas of arable crops. I hope these are for water, not for pesticides and weed killers - as this would not be good for the wonderfully rich biodiversity for which Georgia is renowned. Curiously, although pork is a popular meat in the restaurants, I have seen no pigs at all. Some of the long low farm buildings we have seen along the way may be housing pigs. I do hope not, but fear it is so. There are many welfare issues surrounding the farming of pigs for meat - much more about this can be found at the website of Compassion for World Farming. If you enjoy pork and bacon please visit this site!

wine store at the caves

The river view at Uplistsikhe - but oh dear look at that litter in the tree!

another river view from Uplistsikhe

We soon approach Tbilisi and turn North onto the beginning of the Georgian Military Highway, with 94 kilometers or c. 60 miles to our destination in Gudauri. It is getting late and we are travelling at some speed. I have to say that I am not comfortable doing these high speeds in a coach without seat-belts. In Georgia the law only requires the front seats to have belts. Few others seem perturbed by this, some almost hostile to my voiced concern. Our coach that met us at the airport in Tbilisi on arrival had seat belts throughout so I know they are available. Tour operators and guides please note! But our driver is certainly skillful and knows his coach, his country and his roads pretty well…

As we drive away from the caves - note the cows!

We relax and enjoy the scenic drive northwards …

Holy Georgia - Bagrat Cathedral of the Assumption, Kutaisi

As usual McCabe have found us an excellent local venue for lunch, the Old Imereti, in Kutaisi. It seems as if we have arrived for a wedding feast, the tables already laid out for us with a plentiful variety of vegetarian dishes to start with, meat dishes to follow. Some have Turkish coffee here, Georgian style, but it seems it is very much an acquired taste, appearing to be something like black sludge to the uninitiated. I play safe and stick to my tea, served without milk and quite refreshing, not unlike the Turkish Cay I enjoyed so much in the monasteries of South East Turkey last October.
Because of the Independence Day celebrations, our coach cannot drive straight through the center of town to our next destination, the Cathedral of King Bagrat. There seems to be quite an argument between our guide, the driver and the local police controlling the traffic. After much gesticulating and angry exchanges, we lose, and have to drive a very long way round! Our driver is amazing, negotiating the narrowest of streets, seemingly passing perilously close to overhead power lines and managing to get us safely to the Cathedral.

inside the cathedral

This indeed was the building we saw so clearly this morning from the hills on the other side of the valley. Set high on the Ukimerioni Hill across the river from the city center, it is an incredibly prominent landmark with its emerald and azure roof.  A notice board tells us that "The cathedral was roofed with copper and covered with a special patina finish. The color of the patina is the same azure and emerald as the fragment of the roofing discovered during the excavations. According to Christian tradition, azure symbolizes Heaven and the Kingdom of God, while emerald embodies and glorifies the splendor of Creation. Emerald green symbolizes Resurrection, Paradise, the Holy Spirit and Spring."   Following its recent restoration, it is stunning.

There was a fortress here from at least the 1st century AD, and we can see remains from the 5th and 6th centuries and some medieval fortifications as well as the prominent bell tower, as usual separate from the church itself.

This Cathedral of the Assumption, commissioned in 1003 by King Bagrat III, is a huge triconch (with three apses or semi circular recesses) and cruciform church with a massive central dome, symbolizing the heavenly sphere.

The Turks destroyed this wonderful building in the late 17th century and it remained roofless and in a sorry state until UNESCO put it on the World Heritage list and it has been restored. Fortunately the unsightly scaffolding mentioned in the guide books has now been taken down so we can enjoy the building in all its glory. Unfortunately the nature of the restoration is controversial and has upset UNESCO. At their 37th conference session on World Heritage sites they reported (see item 32 - and incidentally item 33 re Mtskheta) regret that Bagrat had been altered to such an extent that its authenticity has been irreversibly compromised - but for the moment they recommended to retain it on the list subject to additional information requested to enable them to modify the boundary of the World Heritage site, seemingly to enable Gelati to be retained without the inclusion of Bagrat cathedral…at least that is my interpretation of the sometimes conflicting information on the internet.  

Our guide shows us an icon associated with a poem about the wine grape and the Virgin Mary - this was a 12th century hymn dedicated by King Demetrius I, (1093–1156 AD) son of David the builder, to his new kingdom.

She tells us that the hymn was forgotten in the Soviet period but at the time of Georgia's independence in 1991 it was resurrected… "you are a vineyard newly blossomed, young, beautiful, growing in Eden …" it begins...

See for example http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shen_Khar_Venakhi and http://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-georgian+republic  for more information on this and on Georgia's wine making tradition, which began around 6000 years ago.

from a notice board at Bagrat

After spending some time at the Bagrati Cathedral we walk back down into town through the street markets towards the enormous main square where we will meet the coach later, before going back to the hotel. This square is closed to traffic for the independence celebrations - hence our coach driver's earlier arguments with the police - and there is plenty of lively activity. The Georgian army are taking the opportunity to show off their tanks and guns much to the enjoyment of lots of little boys, and some not so little, who mill around with obvious enjoyment and interest. I shrink away from displays of military strength. The street markets are noisy and crowded and I don't enjoy them much more. I see two poor little rabbits squashed together into a small box, panting and in obvious distress, destined for tonight's supper I suspect.

wall mural in Kutaisi

the impressive fountain in central square, Kutaisi

Independence Day celebrations Kutaisi 2014

Some of us have little appetite for the recommended Farmers' Market and make our way straight to the central gardens near the meeting point, where we find a café and some welcome tea, coffee and ice-cream to suit our various tastes! The service there is very friendly although little English is spoken. The day has been pleasantly warm, with none of the forecast rain. We have a welcome hour and a half back at the hotel before supper and the evening service of Compline, before most of us opt for an early night. We are off again in the morning with a long day ahead of us, and many interesting stops along the way. We will drive via Gori and Tbilisi up into the Caucasus Mountains in the North of the country, up to Gudairi, the highest village on the Georgian Military Highway, where we will stay for two nights…there is still so much to see and enjoy on this wonderful pilgrimage trip.