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Caves

David Gareja Lavra Monastery

Caves

David Gareja Lavra Monastery

Highlight • Religious Site

David Gareja Lavra Monastery

Name: David Gareja Lavra Monastery
Rating: 2

Recommended by 27 hikers

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Location: Kakheti, Georgia

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Best Hikes to David Gareja Lavra Monastery

1. David Gareja Lavra Monastery – View of Azerbaijan loop from Udabno

2.63km

01:13

180m

170m

Intermediate hike. Great for any fitness level. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

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Intermediate

5.0

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2. View of the Rainbow Mountains – David Gareja Lavra Monastery loop from Udabno

16.3km

04:39

380m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

Tips

kocmoc

August 14, 2019

Impressive monastery complex in the border region of Georgia.
The journey from Tbilisi is relatively relaxed by bus and tour guides.

Translated by Google •

Holger

July 6, 2024

One of the 13 Syrian Fathers (nice to have 13 here! 😅) who brought Christianity to Georgia was David. It is clear that this was not an easy or peaceful process; one of them put out the eternal fire in a Zoroastrian temple and was stoned by the governor for it. After being accused in Tbilisi, where he preached, David went to the Gareja wasteland (here) and founded this monastery (Lavra Monastery, 6th century). The idea seemed to become fashionable, and his students founded a total of twelve cave monasteries nearby. And the conditions were not easy! The water problem was solved by using extremely long gutters across the entire sandstone rock slanted towards the southwest (like gutters on a roof! Except that the "rock roof" is 50x100m - so even when it rarely rains, a lot of water accumulates!) into the cisterns. Gardens were laid out in the shade of the rocks, etc.
In the 9th century, the caves were expanded and decorated with frescoes.

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Elevation 720 m

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Thursday 23 October

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Max wind speed: 6.0 km/h

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See hikes here

Take Me There

Location: Kakheti, Georgia

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David Gareja Lavra Monastery

1. David Gareja Lavra Monastery – View of Azerbaijan loop from Udabno

2. View of the Rainbow Mountains – David Gareja Lavra Monastery loop from Udabno

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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