Travel Guide Chouamta

In the heart of the mountain, at an altitude of 1015 m, the site is a haven of peace. It consists of two monasteries, far from each other and far away from the frenzy of the world. The buildings rise in the Gombori Mountains (Chouamta meaning "between the mountains"). The junction leading to the monasteries is on the Telavi-Gombori road (from which one can then reach Tbilisi, on a recently rebuilt road), 11 km from Telavi.On the road, the first complex, the "New Shuraamta" convent, Akhali Shuraamta, dates from the 16th century. It was founded by Tinatin Gurrieli, the wife of the King of Kakhetia Levan II. Legend has it that the queen, newly married to Levan, King of Kakhetia, was travelling with her husband. At nightfall, they decided to stop at Chouamta. The queen carried with her at all times an icon from the monastery of Kakuli, now in Turkey. In the early morning, she could not lift the sacred image. Only after she promised God that she would build a monastery on this site could she leave with the icon. The Queen kept her word and installed the icon in the beautiful church she had built.You can enter, but after passing through the first gate, after having crossed a park, you must ring the bell at the second gate and wait for a nun to come and open it to show you around. The big and majestic church is cruciform; it was built in brick, with a dome. It contains magnificent frescoes of its founders, Tinatin, Levan and their son Guiorgui, others depicting scenes from the Old and New Testament. Nowadays, the site is a convent for women and the icon is kept in the Tbilisi Museum of Fine Arts 3 km further on, the "Vieux-Chouamta" seems forgotten by the world. It is a monastic complex built in the 5th century. Here, time has stood still. The small monastery was abandoned in the 16th century when the more modern version, "New-Chouamta" was built. The complex includes a 5th century basilica, one of the oldest churches in Georgia. Its somewhat hybrid plan is an architectural curiosity. According to the Georgians, the architect had never seen a basilica in his life and built it as described. Its entrance faces south. Next to it are two small tetraconic domed churches from the 7th century