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 - 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.

Holy Georgia: The Gelati and Motsameta monasteries, Kutaisi

Tskaltubo Resort

We are staying for two nights 12 km NW of Kutaisi at the Tskaltubo Resort. This was built by German prisoners of war after World War II and was a popular Soviet Union health spa and resort and sanatorium, much frequented by the rich and enjoyed by Stalin for its recreational facilities. There are the remains of a railway line from Moscow which serviced the center. The approach drive is almost spooky, as we pass massive buildings in process of restoration, amidst neglected and extensive Italianate style gardens which were clearly once opulent. The hotel accommodation itself is modern and fairly simple, but very clean and comfortable. Opening the window in my room, I am rewarded with the cleanest crispest smelling air imaginable, filled with exuberant birdsong.

Tskaltubo Resort the Restaurant Building

Next morning I am awoken at 5am by the noisiest and most glorious dawn chorus of birds I have ever heard anywhere. What a total joy to hear. Strolling through the grounds before breakfast I find some beautiful flowering Oleander and a glorious Magnolia. The meals are taken a short walk away through the gardens, in a huge building adorned within by marble pillars and fountains, the latter not currently functioning. Like Marmite, this hotel is to love or hate. I loved its quirkiness and faded charm, the glorious wild life and clean air, the vast gardens a relic of a different era. Efforts are clearly being made to slowly restore the whole complex to something of its former glory.
For the tourist there are caves to visit nearby, at Kumistavi, with 15 chambers underground, including an underground waterfall, and the habitat for 10-12 species of bat. But we are pilgrims so the bats are given a miss!
Monday morning sees us setting off at 9am after a good breakfast at the hotel to visit Kutaisi itself. The road to the town is sadly littered and unsightly, but I am pleased to see that at least some people care; I see a man picking up litter outside a small roadside café, and an old lady is sweeping the pavement in front of her small shop. And the town itself, as with most towns we visited here, was relatively clean and tidy.

beautiful frescoes, Cathedral of the Virgin, Gelati Monastery

At the time of our visit it is Georgia's Independence Day, with lots of celebration going on across the country. There are events in the town center here so some roads are closed and security appears tight. We pass the town's statue of King David the Builder, much revered King of Georgia from the tender age of 16, then we cross the river and climb up out of town into the mountains, through deciduous woodland and lush green glades, past small fields of sweet corn and groups of placid grazing cows along the roadside.

the mosaic Virgin and Child in the Apse, Cathedral of the Virgin,
Gelati Monastery

King David's grave

The iron gate at King David's grave

the rather curious St Nicholas church
with the bell tower behind

We are visiting the Gelati Monastery, founded by King David whose statue we had just passed in town. He wanted to create a new Jerusalem or Athos here to serve as a major center of Christianity in Georgia. This is said in the guidebooks to be one of the most beautiful spots in Georgia. Maybe, but we will see other strong contestants for this claim later in the week. The guidebooks also warn about the crowds of pilgrim and tourist groups visiting this site, although when we visited it was very quiet. The Cathedral of the Virgin, the centerpiece of the monastery, features many rather fine and colorful frescoes, dating variously from the early 12th century through to the 17th century.

information plaque at Gelati Monastery

But most remarkable is the stone mosaic in the apse, made with 2.5 million stones, featuring the Virgin and Child and the two archangels Michael and Gabriel, dating back to the 1130s. It has suffered some earthquake damage and the lower half controversially restored by painting rather than mosaic. Other features at this monastery are the bell tower, the south gate with King David's grave, the Church of St Nicholas (one of the oddest designs of church in Georgia, and the Church of St George (closed but apparently often opened at weekends for weddings). King David died in 1125 and at his request was buried in the center of the South gateway, so that churchgoers would be forced to walk over him and remember him for ever! The battered iron gate there was built in 1063 in Ganja, then in Persia but now in Azerbaijan. David's son Demetre I brought it back from Persia in 1129.

One of the best detailed descriptions of the Gelati monastery complex is at the UNESCO website.

Having spent some time at Gelati, we retrace our steps in the coach to Motsameta (meaning; martyrs) Monastery, founded in the 8th century. This is smaller than the Gelati Monastery, and again we have the place pretty much to ourselves, at least to start with, although as at Gelati, the liturgy is being said at the time of our visit.

I still find it very difficult to take photos whilst respecting the mystery and divinity of the occasion. The present church was built in the 11th century by Bagrat III, the bell tower perhaps later, in the 16th century. The buildings are set in a spectacular cliff-side setting, with fabulous views into the gorge far below. Within the church there are two skulls in a casket, recovered and reburied from the earlier church. These belong to the brothers David and Constantine Mkheidze, now saints, who refused to convert to Islam in the 720s and were killed by Arabs and thrown into the gorge. I missed my chance here of having a wish granted. Apparently this was available to me if I had crawled three times beneath the tomb of the saints, without touching it! A missed opportunity! The church has only been open again for two years, and has modern frescoes. There may well be a secret tunnel between Gelati and Motsameta, useful in periods of the all too common invasions that this country has suffered.

Motsameta Monastery from approach road

For the tourists with more time on their hands there is a pleasant half day hike to be had between the two monasteries, and in the heat of the high summer a walk down to the river below from the gatehouse of the Motsameta monastery is a popular jaunt for the people of Kutaisi. As we drive back down into Kutaisi there are stunning views of the town spread out below, enjoyed by many of the quality villa-style houses lining the route up here. Always we can see the prominent golden dome of the restored Cathedral of King Bagrat, a striking landmark which we shall visit this afternoon.

The Bagrat Cathedral, Kutaisi

Holy Georgia - in the steps of St Nino and the Syrian Fathers - the road to Kutaisi

We are pilgrims on a journey; in Caucasian Georgia, in the steps of St Nino and the Syrian Fathers. We have explored the Dzhvari or Jvari (cross) church in its proud and very prominent position high above the town of the sacred city of Mtskheta, and then visited the cathedral in the town, related in my last post here.
But now we have to travel on.
Back in the coach we travel westwards, passing close to South Ossetia. Advice on safety and security for travelers from the UK foreign office advises us that: "along the M27 road (also known as the M1), particularly where it runs very close to South Ossetia (between the Stepantsminda/Gudauri turnoff and Gori, and between Gori and Khashuri)... There is a risk of criminal activity in these areas." This is our route!  The website further advises that: "The British government does not recognise the unilateral declarations of independence made by the de facto authorities in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. There is no UK diplomatic representation available in either location." We have every confidence in McCabe's meticulous attention to such details, and also in our excellent Georgian guide and driver.

A refugee camp on road to Kutaisi

on the road to Kutaisi

Our guide tells us that 20% of Georgian territory is still occupied by Russia today, 400,000 people have been turned out of their houses to live in refugee camps in Georgia or to leave the country. We drive past one such camp where some of these Internally Displaced People, or IDPs as they are known, now live. We are told that this camp was partly funded by the European Union and the World Bank. Since its independence, Georgia did suffer civil conflict, fueled, our guide tells us, by Russia who would like the world to think Georgia is unstable. But whilst Georgia did have a corrupt government and economic problems in its early days of independence, for the last ten years or so it is making positive steps forward and life is generally good. There is plenty of new building going on, and the roads are being substantially improved. Georgia wants only to build peace and stability for its people, a desire shared by most of us. The country is expanding its export market around the world, especially for its wine for which it is justly well known, and in 2011 the new Georgian government even renegotiated its exports to Russia again, a huge and very important market for them. As she tells us this, we pass a tourist sign to the "Wine Route", the first of many such signs we will see later in our pilgrimage.

on the road to Kutaisi

There is a family of stray dogs basking on the bonnet of an abandoned car by the wayside; a bitch and her pups, clearly set up home there. There are too many emaciated stray dogs around - so sad.
The wild flowers in the meadows as we drive along are stunning in their diversity and colors. Poppies give us flashes of bright red brilliance, there are fields of barley and wheat, and there are plenty of smallholdings and small orchards in and around the villages we pass through. Much accommodation here seems very old and run down, in stark contrast to the very modern IDP settlements. Rusty corrugated iron roofs cover many of the older buildings, again in contrast to the many shiny new satellite discs seen as we drive further to the west.

typical Georgian food very Veggie friendly!

It is lunch time, and we stop at Venecia Ristorante, before reaching Gori. This restaurant has been built around an artificial lake and canal with arched bridges and plenty of outside terraces. We discover later that this is a very popular style of restaurant in Georgia. A long table is set out ready for us, groaning with enticing plates of food and baskets of the flat bread for which the region is known. We are seated on one of the covered balconies overlooking the lake, which is full of trout. I'm finding the Georgian food very veggie friendly on the whole, helped by the way they keep bringing various dishes, both meat and salad based and there are no defined courses as such, which we are all used to. So at first it seems a little strange, but I like it. I only miss having a sweet "pudding" to finish the meal, that's all. And my wheat free diet, recently imposed for medical reasons, is proving to be a challenge, with so much delicious looking fresh bread always generously provided. But my wheat abstinence is certainly helping me, so perseverance in this respect is definitely worth while.

dough for the flat bread

colorful roadside market stalls on
road to Kutaisi

After this meal we go around the back of the restaurant where the coach is parked and watch an elderly lady making this flat bread, sticking the shaped dough with apparent ease around the sides of a stone pit at the bottom of which are red hot embers; a skill no doubt learnt over decades and passed on through generations. Also here a man is catching and killing some of the free range chickens for supper tonight. I give this a miss! At least the birds have had a happy life scratching around the coppice behind the restaurant and their end comes mercifully quickly.
It is a three hour drive after lunch to Kutaisi and our hotel for the next two nights so we settle down to read, sleep, watch films on our personal tablets etc. or listen to music. I cannot do any of these things; I watch out of the window continually, anxious not to miss any detail of the changing landscape of this lovely countryside. There is so much of interest to see along the roadside;

There is a craftsman making wooden ladders. Then there are the many colorful street market, the stalls stacked high with local fruits. Each market comprises a collection of many small stalls, but many of these appear to be very run down, even abandoned. I've mentioned the cows before, grazing everywhere, with no boundaries, usually under the watchful eye of one or two men, who we later learn are paid per cow per day for this watchful duty. Some keepers are on horseback - one we saw was galloping bareback somewhat dangerously I thought alongside the fast moving traffic!
There are many small fields of newly planted "greens." Then I see a motorbike pulling a farm trailer! A large and rare road sign in English at the road works along the way urges the traffic to "Slow Down." They are widening this very main and busy route and improving its surface at the same time.
Always there is litter, especially at junctions and along the main roads. Curiously the towns themselves are nearly always relatively clear of litter. Lovely Georgia, please stop desecrating your beautiful countryside in this way. Sadly, I fear the UK is heading in the same direction unless we change the filthy habit of "litter bugging" soon.

Kutaisi street scene

We are warned to expect a higher humidity in Kutaisi than in Tblisi. We are driving towards higher mountains on our left, to the South, and into rain - we are only one hour into our drive and can see the clouds coming down the mountain sides towards us. I even think I see snow on a distant peak, glinting in the sunshine before the rain clouds blot out the view. And do they just! It is raining really hard now, the view ahead almost obliterated except when vivid lightning flashes momentarily open it up again, and thunder roars around. It looks to be set in for the day.

poppies!

Water pours down roadside gullies presumably to a collecting reservoir somewhere? Meanwhile we are noticeably climbing. My ears start popping. There is evidence of quite a few rocky landslides which have been cleared away from the road. Then we begin our descent. We drive down verdantly green and steep wooded gorges and we can see a river, sometimes alongside the road, then far below us, always swollen and fast flowing with the rain. There are regular "wrecking cul de sacs" - the signs again in English. Presumably these are the same as our "escape routes" (what do Americans call them?) for lorries with failing brakes on steep hills and the assumption is that Georgian lorry drivers don't need them? I understood that English is not widely spoken here outside Tbilisi so why the English signs?

Home to the story of the Golden Fleece, Kutaisi is Georgia's second largest town, with a population of 200,000. It is also the oldest, with evidence of settlements going back to perhaps the 17th century BC. It was certainly established as a Greek colony by the 7th century BC.
Here we will be visiting two monasteries and the wonderful Bagrat Cathedral, as well as soaking up the atmosphere of the Georgian Independence celebrations which happily coincide with our visit....to be continued...

Holy Georgia In the Steps of Saint Nino and the Syrian Fathers

Pilgrim; from Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary:

"a wanderer: one who travels to a distance to visit a holy place: allegorically or spirituality, one journeying through life as a stranger in this world." That's me!

Mother Georgia statue

Georgia, in the Caucasus region of Europe (and not to be confused with the American state of Georgia), has the highest level of biodiversity, the highest human settlements, some of the highest mountain peaks, the oldest prehistoric Hominid bones, and the highest Orthodox Christian church. It boasts stunning countryside and scenery, good food, renowned wine, and wonderful hospitality. Its state language, Georgian, is one of the oldest living languages in the world. This beautiful country, at just under 70,000 square kilometers, is slightly smaller than Austria or the Republic of Ireland and under half the size of the American state of the same name. It may not be great in size, but it is a country full of superlatives.

Some of the superlatives are not so good. Against all odds Georgia has survived probably one of the most turbulent histories for a country of this size. Significantly for us, it is also only the second country, after Armenia, to adopt Christianity as its state religion, and today something like 80 - 90 % of the population is devout Christian and these attend their orthodox church regularly.

Bodbe convent site of St Nino's tomb

Christianity was introduced to Georgia in the 1st century by the apostles Andrew, Simon and Matthew. Later a female slave from Cappadocia, St Nino, 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 it the world's second Christian nation. St Nino's tomb within Bodbe Convent is a sacred place for many Georgians. But it wasn't until the arrival in the sixth century of twelve Syrian missionaries from Antioch, with the foundation of several monasteries, that the religion became firmly established.

That is why we have come to Georgia, a party of 36 pilgrims from the Anglican Diocese of Southwark in the city of London, assisted by McCabe Pilgrimages, to visit many of the ancient churches and monasteries, following in the steps of St Nino and those Syrian Fathers.

Me on the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan

We don't know it yet, but our tour will involve some strenuous mountain treks. One will involve bitterly cold and soaking rain and the danger of bathing in mud. The other will be in dry desert heat, with the added excitement of poisonous snakes, said to be particularly aggressive at this time of year (don't worry if you are ophidiophobic - this particular climb is optional and I will not be sharing photos of these!). For some this will prove to be the highlight of the trip. But those joys are saved for much later in the week.

Over the next few weeks the story of our pilgrimage will unfold on this blog with plenty of photos as well so please come back for more - and I hope you enjoy!