Ik alto and Shuamta Monasteries: History, Architecture & Route

The Ikalto Monastery Complex is located 8 kilometers north of Telavi. The monastery was founded in the 6th century by Saint Zeno of Ikalto, a Syrian monk who arrived in Georgia from Antioch. Arsen Ikaltoeli, who arrived here from Gelati in the early 12th century, founded an educational center, the Academy, here.

The monastery complex currently includes three churches. These include the main church, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, or "Khvtaeba" (8th-9th centuries), built on the site of an older church where Zeno of Ikalto was buried; the small domed Church of the Holy Trinity (Sameba, 5th century); and the single-nave Church of All Saints (12th-13th centuries).

The Academy's longitudinal building was constructed of cobblestone at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries. The ground floor houses a common hall (25m x 9m), while the second floor consists of two rooms. Among the ruins of the Academy, one can see educational and scientific attributes, including the foundation of a department and typical recessed windows. Here, as at the Gelati Academy, the educational process was conducted according to the "trivium and quadrivium" principle. In addition, chasing and ceramic arts, viticulture, and winemaking were taught. The monastery grounds include the ruins of a refectory, a fully preserved stone-carved wine press, and numerous wine jars (qvevri).

Shuamta is a Georgian architectural ensemble located in a forest in the Telavi region, 7 kilometers from Telavi. The ensemble consists of two parts: Dzveli (Old) Shuamta and Akhali (New) Shuamta. The monastery got its name from its location - the monastery rises on a plain between the mountains that surround it on three sides.

The Dzveli Shumta complex includes three churches: a three-aisled basilica (5th century), a Jvari-type church in Mtskheta (7th century), and a small domed church (7th century). All three churches are built of cobblestone, with travertine used for the corners. In the 16th century, the monastery in Dzveli Shuamta became deserted. Not far from Dzveli Shuamta, Tinatin Gurieli, wife of King Levan II of Kakheti (1518-1574), founded a new monastery in Shuamta—the Khakhuli Convent of the Mother of God. Legend has it that before her marriage, Tinatin dreamed of a place where dogwood trees were blooming, and she supposedly intended to build a church on this spot. When King Levan took her away from Guria after the wedding, they stopped to rest in Shuamta, where the dogwood trees were indeed blooming. Immediately after her wedding, she began construction of the monastery.

The brick church is cruciform in plan, and its interior walls are painted. Portraits of the founders (King Levan, Queen Tinatin, and their son) have been preserved. The church was renovated by Irakli II. The complex includes a bell tower and other structures. Queen Tinatin Gurieli, who took monastic vows, is buried in Akhali Shuamta. The poet and public figure Alexander Chavchavadze and others are also buried here.

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