Shio-Mgvime Monastery in Georgia is located 9 km from the city of Mtskheta. A separate dead end road leads to it. The monastery is located at an altitude of 750 m above sea level. It was opened in 560 by Saint Shio. It was an Assyrian father known as Shio Mgvim. For about 300 years, the Shio-Mgvim Monastery served as the family tomb of the princely family Amilahvari. At the moment, this is the most famous monastery near the cities of Mtskheta and Tbilisi.
Story
The Shio-Mgvime monastery appeared in the historical period when the Assyrian fathers dispersed throughout Georgia. Saint Shio came to the gorge under the city of Mtskheta. He began to live in one of the mountain caves. Quickly enough, he got a lot of followers. They dug caves for themselves. In the vicinity of the Shio-Mgvime monastery there are many of them preserved, the exact date of their creation is currently very difficult to determine.
His famous follower was Evagrius. He owned the fortress of Tsikhedidi. He met Shio when he went hunting in the highlands. Acquainted with the saint, Evagrius decided to stay with him. At the same time, he put up for sale everything he owned. He gave all the money raised to the poor and began to live a monastic life.
About facilities
The first building of the Shio-Mgvime monastery was the Church of John the Baptist. It was built around 560. At that time, Shio himself personally chose the place where she was built. There is a legend that at the same time he raised his hand over a burning incense, and then went to the side in which the smoke stretched. It is for this reason that on icons with this saint he appears with an incense that smokes on his hand.
When the church was consecrated, a number of Assyrian fathers were present here. There is no evidence that the church was rebuilt. Therefore, it is believed that she survived to this day unchanged. At the church the saint himself dug a well. Here he lived like a recluse. After him, Evagrius remained the elder. In the well, the saint spent 15 years. All this time he ate water and prosfirs.
It is noteworthy that Shio died right there. He was buried in the same well, which became a crypt. His relics have been stored in this monastery for centuries. And only during the existence of the USSR they were burned. A small part of them has survived, she was sent to the Samtavro church in Mtskheta.
By the end of his life, Evagrius also shut himself up in a well that has survived to this day. Not so long ago, it was restored. Before you reach the Shio-Mgvime monastery, you can see it, moving along the pavement, bypassing the Church of John. The well will appear on the road. In 1100, David the Builder erected another church here. As a result, the monastery has repeatedly suffered from invasions of foreigners. There were great risks that it would be completely destroyed. Tsar George VIII handed it over to the princes Amilahvari to beautified.
About location
The monastery is located on the slopes of the ridge. For this reason, all the buildings located here are set, as it were, one above the other. It is noteworthy that one legend has survived on the source of the “Tears of the Monk” of the Shio-Mgvime Monastery. According to her, Shio carried a jug of water here, broke it and burst into tears. Since then, a source has appeared on the territory of the monastery, which exists now.
About the buildings
At the moment, several buildings have been preserved in the monastery. The most ancient of them is the church of John the Baptist. It has a fairly complex architecture. The entrance to it runs through the bell tower. Passing into it, a person falls into a series of darkened halls. It is not forbidden to take pictures here. Once there was a beautiful iconostasis. But then he was taken to the Moscow Museum.
This church is one of the first dome-type buildings in the country. This is the first cross church. An interesting fact is that the church of this kind turned out to be the first and last. After it, the cross churches were erected in the form of tetraconchs. And then, starting from 630, in the form of temples in which the domes rested on pillars. In fact, this church is an experiment, a similar one has never been built.
Apparently, initially this building did not have any extensions. Well Shio was located to the west of her. Later, an additional vestibule was completed for the construction, supplemented with extensions. As a result, the well was inside the church. And still it can be seen there.
The bell tower before the construction is very archaic at first glance. But actually it was erected in 1733 by Givi Amilahvari. It was in this year that the Mukhran fortress was erected.
About the second temple
The Temple of Our Lady was erected around 1100 by David the Builder. At the moment, it is this building that is considered central in the monastery. Initially, this temple had a dome. However, when Shah Abbas attacked the area in 1614, the building was destroyed. They restored it only in 1678. Then he acquired a simplified form.
The temple remained simple, without any frills, external decorations. It is built in a minimalist style. But the interior is beautiful in it. There are many frescoes and murals left there. Someone once pasted the murals on the walls and there were traces of it. Photographing is prohibited inside this building.
Additional buildings
In addition to these religious buildings, several ancient buildings intended for farming were preserved on the territory of the monastery. Also visible in the photo of the Shio-Mgvime Monastery in Georgia and the church, located high on the rocks. It is quite difficult to get to it. There are no springs here.
Today, novices live in the monastery, and the rules in it are quite strict. For this reason, for tea ceremonies, the best solution would be to move south, going out the gate.
There are many caves in the cliffs of the surroundings. Here sedimentary rock, limestone, sandstone. For this reason, digging a cave does not seem difficult. However, it remains unclear how exactly you can get to the caves from the monastery. It is likely that such actions are not welcome here.
Arriving at the monastery, you need to take into account that they bring healing oil from the Shio-Mgvime monastery. Here it can be purchased, it is popular.
Reviews
Cells are located opposite the temple. About a dozen monks live in them today. They are quite modern buildings. Once in this monastery lived about 2,000 novices. The monks, which is generally characteristic of the Georgian nation, welcome guests with all the cordiality. You can visit the monastery for free, the monks themselves are called to conduct excursions. Visitors note that these tours are extremely interesting, saturated with love and passion for these places, for their rich history.
The novices independently provide for their lives by raising sheep and grapes. They cultivate the land. It is likely that they will offer to try the local wine, which they make themselves. For Georgian monks, wine making is a kind of religion. By giving the visitor wine, they actually bare their soul in front of him. In their reviews, many note the purity of the mountain air, the beauty of local landscapes and the incredibly calm atmosphere of the monastery, for which tourists like this place so much.
How to get there
The easiest way to get to the monastery, moving from Mtskheta. There are signs directly on the main streets of the city. There is only one road, it is a dead end. Route transport does not go along it. This road has always been of poor quality, but already in 2015 it was paved. Therefore, it is now easy to get to the monastery.
You can also walk here. In total, you will need to walk about 8 km. At the same time, the road offers excellent views of the cloister and the surrounding area.