The Gelati Monastery

I didn’t have any classroom observations scheduled for today, so I thought I’d take a break from work and head out to one of Kutaisi’s more famous tourist attractions: the Gelati Monastery.

Gelati's Church of the Virgin

A few weeks ago, I had stopped in to the tourist information center in downtown Kutaisi to pick up a few maps of the regions north of Kutaisi. While I was there, I asked about the marshrutkas to Gelati. I was told that they leave from a spot near the National Theater at 8:00, 11:00, 2:00, 4:00, and 6:00. The marshrutkas return to Kutaisi from Gelati about 30 minutes after they arrive there. This morning, I went down to the theater around 10:45 and looked around for the Gelati marshrutka. I didn’t see it (but I didn’t ask anyone about it, either) and I was in the mood for walking, so I decided to head to Gelati by foot.

Walking to Gelati is extremely easy. Gelati Street takes you from the city center all the way out to the turnoff for the monastery (passing the road to Motsameta along the way). I walked, and I walked, and I walked, and I walked a bit more. About 90 minutes into it, a white marshrutka van pulled over in front of me and a guy opened up the door, leaned out, and beckoned me over. I looked at him and said, “Gelati?” He nodded and I jumped in. About 5 minutes later, we came to the turnoff for Gelati and I got out. I asked the driver how much for the ride, and he waved me off. I said, in English, “Thank you,” and as the door was closing I could hear the woman who was sitting behind the driver shout out, “You’re welcome!”

In the apse, you can see a 12th century mosaic that depicts Mary, Jesus, Archangel Michael, and Archangel Gabriel (the bottom part of the mosaic was "restored" by painting what had been damaged and/or was missing). 

The monastery is approximately 3 kilometers off the main road and uphill. On my way up, I saw a few cows, was snorted at by a pig, and didn’t see many people (although there are houses all the way up).  Once I arrived at the Gelati complex, there was nobody around. As I walked around the grounds, I did see one priest milling about, but other than him, the place was completely empty.

Interior shot of the church.

Gelati was founded by King David the Builder in 1106 and contained one of the first academies of the Middle Ages (and, hence, Gelati is considered to have been an important center of religion and education).  Supposedly, King David the Builder is buried here, but according to everything I’ve read, that’s not for certain. The walls inside the main church are covered in frescoes, some of them with that blue background that brings to mind Jean de France, Duc of Berry’s “Les Belles Heures” and Rila Monastery in Bulgaria.

A side room I wandered into (and I'm not sure I should have been in there...the door was closed but unlocked).

After poking around and taking a few photos, I left the complex and started walking back down the hill and towards Kutaisi. I had hardly even gotten into my walking rhythm when a car passed me, stopped, and backed up.  The driver pulled alongside me, rolled down his window, and said, “something somethingsomethingsomethingsomething,” to which I replied, “Kutaisi.” He pointed to his back seat so I got in and 15 minutes later, I was back in the city center.

It's a shame these frescoes no longer exist.

Church of the Virgin