Travel Guide Marktopi

Just 20 kilometres from Tbilisi, the monastery of Martkopi is very isolated. To visit it, it will be easier to rent a car or take a taxi for half a day. To get there, take the northern bypass of Tbilisi after the "Tbilisi Sea", then in Norio continue to the village of Martkopi. A road that is difficult to drive without a 4 x 4 climbs up to the foothills of the Lesser Caucasus, where the beautiful monastery of Martkopi-Ghvtaeba, built on a promontory, sits halfway up the slope. The monastery is located on the top of a mountain overlooking deep gorges, like an eagle's nest. It is a very beautiful site with beautiful historic buildings. The monastery was founded in the 6th century by the holy Assyrian father Anthony of Martkopi. He travelled all over Georgia and attracted disciples before coming to the site with novices. Originally, a tower, in which St. Anthony settled, was first built, which you will see to the south of the complex. It is the oldest building. Then the monastery was built. The story goes that a famous icon of Christ was hidden there, which was later lost during successive invasions. The monastery was in the Middle Ages one of the most flourishing in Kartlie. It was an intellectual and artistic centre where many poets and scholars lived. Today, the church, which was rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries, is a beautiful stone building with interesting frescoes. The fortifications and various outbuildings date back to the 16th-18th centuries. On a clear day, the tower offers an absolutely magnificent view of Tbilisi.