DAVID GAREGA MONESTARIES

David Gareja is the overall name for a group of 13 monasteries in the southeastern part of Georgia, immediately on the border with Azerbaijan. The original monastery was founded in the sixth century by David, one of the 13 Syrian Fathers who settled in a natural cave on the slopes of the Gareja hills.

The Georgian Syrian Fathers practiced a kind of asceticism and were responsible for the growth of cave architecture. Single caves as first; then communities of caves interlinked by passages and internal staircases housed the hermits. Their communities were sustained by terrace gardens and sophisticated water-gathering systems (the area of these caves is quite arid).

Over the years, the monasteries were ravaged and/or partially destroyed by:

·                The Seljuk Turks in the 11^th century

·                The Mongol invasion in the 13^th century

·                The Safavid Persians in 1615 AD

·         In the 18^th and 19^th centuries additional invasions impeded the growth of David Gareja, but in 1988, Georgian Orthodox monks worked to restore some of the communities of the invaders. Today, only the Monastry of Lavra (located at the end of a one hour drive on a broken pavement and gravel road) is available for visitation. Nine monks live in residence. We saw them work and worship. Awesome!

The entry to the monastery.....steps carved right out of the stone.

 CLICK HERE to see the chapel and listen to the monks chant the Scripture.

Personal rooms for the monks were carved out of the rock. Some additional stone was added.

There are lots of steps, lots of little rooms and alcoves.

Note the stovepipes coming out of the single rooms.

The top of the worship area (church) within the monastery.

The steps lead from one "apartment" to another.

The channel brings rainwater from the sides of the rock to the cistern at the bottom where the water was stored for future use.

Monks head back to their living quarters from their work.

The rock on which the monastery is located.

On our way back to Tbilisi we drove on a side road to the Georgia/Azerbaijan. There we found this little outpost manned by two soldiers.