It's just like those Georgians to start a city with five consecutive consonants. With remains found dating back to 1000 BC, Mtskheta is one of Georgia's oldest cities. This is the site where, in 317 AD (or possibly 324, or 330, depending on whom you ask), Christianity became the official religion of Georgia. The headquarters of the Georgian Orthodox Church has been here ever since.
We looked down on the city from the Jvari Monastery, built in the 6th century. The monastery has been a popular destination for Christian pilgrims for centuries and is now considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as is the Cathedral below.
This is Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, the central feature of Mtskheta, seen from down in the valley. You can see the Jvari Monastery on top of the hill in the background.
Inside Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, this sunbeamed pillar marks the burial spot of Sidonia. Our driver (DT) shared the following story with us almost verbatim, albeit in broken English.
"According to Georgian hagiography*, in the 1st century AD a Georgian Jew from Mtskheta named Elias was in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified. Elias bought Jesus' robe from a Roman soldier at Golgotha and brought it back to Georgia. Returning to his native city, he was met by his sister Sidonia who upon touching the robe immediately died from the emotions engendered by the sacred object. The robe could not be removed from her grasp, so she was buried with it. The place where Sidonia is buried with Christ's robe is preserved in the Cathedral." (Wikipedia)
*DT definitely didn't say "hagiography"
The lofty interior space is punctuated with an enormous golden chandelier.
This nifty design formed a border lining the entrance to the Cathedral.
DT and little guy found the outside more stimulating than the interior.
Our excursion worked up an appetite for some traditional Georgian fare. DT said when food is this good, "I eat and cry at the same time". I believe we all shed a tear.
Oh how we loved Mtskheta! We did a lot of humanitarian projects there and always took any visitors to Javai and the church.
ReplyDeleteI love all your pictures. You are such a great photographer. I love your posts!
ReplyDeleteWhat was the food you ate? I'm especially curious about the dumplings!
ReplyDeleteFirst the dumplings, they're called Khinkali, they come out steaming hot and when you bite into them you get a mouthful of spicey beef and flavorful broth. You don't eat the pointy tips, however. I guess you keep those around to count how many you've had.
DeleteThe round pizza-looking thing is called khachapuri, it's bread with a layer of salty white cheese inside and then another layer of cheese on top. The cheese is sort of a cross between a fresh mozzarella and feta. They often melt butter on top. Not a light dish.
The meat is called shashlik, it's basically seasoned meat cooked on skewers. Super fresh, incomparable taste and texture. We also had more shoti (bread) on the side.
And the meal started off with a cucumber/tomato/onion salad with a ground walnut vinaigrette.
For drinks we had Georgian mineral water, sparkling and refreshing.
Getting used to Georgian food will not be a problem.
Great photos Amber, especially the last one in this section. :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent writing and photography. Makes me proud to be your father.
ReplyDeleteI learned from the best!
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