Church of St. David, Tbilisi, Orthodox church on Mtatsminda Mountain, Tbilisi, Georgia
The Church of St. David is an Orthodox place of worship on the slopes of Mtatsminda Mountain in Tbilisi, Georgia, built in a cross-domed style from brick with entrances on the western and southern sides. It stands within a walled cemetery that contains the graves of some of the country's most celebrated cultural figures.
The first chapel on this site was founded in the 6th century by the monk David, one of the thirteen Syrian fathers who helped spread Christianity across Georgia. The church seen today is the result of later rebuilding and expansion carried out over the following centuries.
The name Mtatsminda means "Holy Mountain" in Georgian, a name that reflects how deeply this site is woven into the city's religious life. The small cemetery beside the church is the resting place of some of Georgia's most respected writers and poets, and locals still come to pay their respects.
The church sits on a hillside, so sturdy shoes are a good idea for the walk up, especially in wet weather. If a service is in progress when you arrive, it is respectful to wait outside or enter quietly without disrupting the worshippers.
The monk David is said to have carved a cave into the hillside as his hermitage, and this cave gave the mountain its original name Mamadaviti, meaning Father David. The name later shifted to Mtatsminda, but the cave still draws pilgrims who come specifically to see where the saint lived.
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