Historical Monuments of Mtskheta, Georgia

Jvari Monastery, Mtskheta, Georgia


Historical Monuments of Mtskheta are historic churches of the former capital of Georgia. They are exquisite examples of medieval religious architecture in the Caucasus region. The churches display a high degree of artistic attainment.

The most significant of the historical monuments of Mtskheta are the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, erected in the 11th century, and the Jvari Monastery, erected in the 6th century. They are pioneer examples for latter buildings. These buildings helped in the development of the architectureal style in the Caucasus.

On the outskirts of Mtskheta are several more historical monuments, including the Armaztsikhe Fortress, built in the 3rd century BC, the Armaztsikhe acropolis, dating from the late 1st millennium BC, the remains of a Roman bridge from the 1st century BC, ruins of a royal palace, circa 1st to 3rd century AD, a tomb from the 1st century AD, another church from the 4th century AD, the Samtavro Monastery from the 11th century, the fortress of Bebris Tsikhe from the 14th century, and the garden of Mikheil Mamulashvili.

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Mtskheta, Georgia


Historical Monuments of Mtskheta was inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 18th session of the World Heritage Committee in Phuket, Thailand, on 12-17 December, 1994.

The Historical Monuments of Mtskheta was added into the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2009 due to concern expressed over their preservation. The World Heritage Committee, in making this decision, urged Georgia to adopt an integrated management plan for the site, and to address problems related to the deterioration of the stonework and frescoes of the historical monuments.

The World Heritage Committee also expressed its concern over the management of land surrounding the monuments, and the quality of work carried out on the buildings. The Historic Monuments of Mtskheta joins the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System and the Los Katios National Park of Colombia as the three sites placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in the 2009 session of the World Heritage Committee.

Jvari Monastery, Mtskheta, Georgia

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N 41 50 38.004 E 44 42 59.004 in the city of Mtskheta, in the region of Mtskheta-Mtianeti
Inscription Year: 1994
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: III, IV

Visiting Historical Monuments of Mtskheta

You can either take a taxi from Tbilisi or engage a guide tour through a local operator. Mtskheta is small enough to be explored on foot. The Jvari Monastery is however located in he mountains away from the town center, and should be reached by taxi.

List of World Heritage Sites in Georgia

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

Map of Roads in Penang

Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.

About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.