Students, postgraduates and teachers of the Moscow Theological Academy (MDA), as well as a representative of the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage, made a pilgrimage to the shrines of Georgia, as well as visited local attractions. The trip, organized by the Foundation and the International Department of the MDA, took place from July 23 to 31, 2024.
On July 23, a group of pilgrims visited two famous monasteries in western Georgia at once: the Motsameta Monastery and the Gelati Monastery.
The Motsameta Monastery, located in a picturesque area near Kutaisi, was built in the XI century. This monastery is connected with the history of the Georgian princes of Aragvi, martyrs of the VIII century, canonized, brothers of Constantine and David. The cancer (special ark) with their relics is located in the main temple of the monastery of the same name.
After visiting the monastery complex, the pilgrims went to the Gelati Monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is located just a few kilometers from Motsameta. The ancient monastery is located in a picturesque place on the slope of a high mountain in the gorge of the Tskalcitela River. The construction of the monastery began in 1106 on the initiative of King David IV the Builder, and it also became the place of his burial. Gelati Monastery is famous for the 12th-century mosaic preserved to this day depicting the Virgin and Child between two Archangels, which covered the top of the altar of the main temple.
The next day, on July 24, the pilgrims visited the Georgian city of Zugdidi, where they visited the historical museum-Dadiani Palace, which collected more than 40 thousand exhibits – rare samples of Georgian national culture. On the same day, the delegation visited Svaneti, a historical mountainous region in northwestern Georgia inhabited by Svans. In Svaneti, the guests visited the Latali community, consisting of 10 villages and visited the Church of the Savior in the village of Matshvarishi.
The pilgrimage trip continued with a visit to the Ushguli community, located at an altitude of 2,200 meters above sea level at the headwaters of the Inguri River. Currently, about 70 families live in Ushguli in difficult living conditions.
The next day, on July 26, the pilgrims took a tour of the Museum of History and Ethnography in Mestia (Svaneti) and got acquainted with the ancient history of Georgia.
On July 28, the trip continued with a visit to the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (XI century) in honor of the 12 Apostles in Mtskheta, where pilgrims took part in Sunday Divine Liturgy. The main shrine of the cathedral is the chiton of Christ, according to legend, removed from the Savior just before His Crucifixion and brought to Georgia by one of the Jewish pilgrims who went to Jerusalem for Easter in the year of Christ's crucifixion.
On the same day, the guests of the Georgian land worshiped the relics of St. Gabriel (Urgebadze), one of the most revered Georgian elders of recent times, at the Samtavro Monastery, which is located near the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. Then a group of pilgrims visited the monastery of Jvari (VI century) near Mtskheta, a temple built on the site of the erection of the first wooden cross by St. Nina, equal-to-the-Apostles, enlightener of Georgia.
On July 29, a delegation of pilgrims venerated the relics of St. Nina Equal to the Apostles in the Bodbe monastery, and also visited the complex of Georgian cave monasteries David Gareji – the main religious center of eastern Georgia of the VI century. The David Gareji complex includes hundreds of rooms carved into the rocks – temples, cells, warehouses, rooms, etc. This cave complex is located 60 km southeast of Tbilisi and stretches for 25 km along the semi-desert slopes of the Gareji Ridge. The historical beginning of the complex dates back to the first half of the VI century, when one of the 13 Syrian fathers named David settled in the natural cave of Gareja on the slopes of a small gorge and soon founded the first monastery there – the Lavra of David.
At the end of the pilgrimage trip, the group visited a number of famous temples of Old Tbilisi: Sameba Cathedral ("Holy Trinity"), built with donations from Georgian citizens in 2004 and considered the tallest temple in Georgia; Metekhi Temple of the XIII century on the banks of the Kura River, where the first great Martyr of Georgia, Shushanik, Queen of Rana, tortured by her husband, is buried-a pagan in the 5th century; Zion Cathedral (VI-VII centuries) in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, named after the Jerusalem Zion. In the Zion Cathedral, pilgrims worshiped the greatest shrine of Georgia – the cross of St. Nina, made of two pieces of vine and intertwined with the enlightener of Georgia's own hair, and the honest head of the Apostle Thomas.
In addition, the participants of the trip also visited the Anchiskhati Church (VI century) – the oldest stone temple of the Virgin Mary, in which the icon of the Savior Not Made with Hands was kept for 200 years – one of the most revered shrines of Georgia.
The participants of the cultural program were satisfied with the pilgrimage trip and expressed special gratitude to the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage for organizing the trip, the friendly atmosphere during the trip and for the opportunity to get acquainted with the historical and spiritual heritage of the Georgian land, as well as representatives of the Georgian Orthodox Church for a warm and cordial welcome.
Part of the photo provided by the press service of the MDA