Bodbe Monastery

With signs of spring aplenty, we left the city for a trip to the Georgian countryside. We ventured to the Kakheti Region, which is known for wine, craftsmen, landscapes, and monuments. 

I borrowed this image of Bodbe from the internet.

Just outside Signagi (our ultimate destination) lies the beautiful Bodbe Monastery and Convent. It houses the remains of St. Nino, the most venerated Georgian Saint.

Legend has it her cross was tied together with her own hair.

She healed and taught in Ancient Georgia, leading to the conversion of the Queen and King (in that order) in the 4th Century. After she witnessed the acceptance of Christianity by then-Iberia, she retired to the mountains near Bodbe, Kakheti, where she thereafter died. Her remains are enshrined there to this day. The sloping grapevine cross she was known to carry has become the symbol of Georgian Christianity.

The meticulously manicured grounds of the monastery were lovely and spirit filled. With moderate success we attempted to impress upon our children the sacred nature of the place. It has been a pilgrimage destination for centuries.

Behind the monastery, terraced fruit and vegetable gardens are carved into the mountainside which face the immense snow-capped Caucasus Mountain Range, visible on the distant horizon. The scenery was stunning on an epic scale, unfortunately these images hardly convey the majesty.

We were thrilled to finally witness the mountain range firsthand.

 Next we descended the mountain to visit Nino's Spring. According to legend, it emerged in response St. Nino's prayers and is said to have healing powers.

All along the way we saw leaves beginning to unfurl. The air was fresh, the scent was green, the surroundings were peaceful . . .

. . . and our children were bounding down the stairs. After a long grey winter, it was an idyllic spring awakening. Perhaps the only drawback was when, after arriving at the spring and accompanying monastery at the bottom, the children were still unable to contain their fervor, and the attending nun had to shoo them away, lest they climb into the sacred spring and take a swim.