Anchiskhati Basilica, Eastern Orthodox church in Old Town, Tbilisi, Georgia.
Anchiskhati Basilica is a church with three naves built from yellow tuff stone, featuring a brick bell tower attached to the western side. The structure has a solid, rectangular form with openings that allow light to enter the interior space.
It was built between 522 and 534 by King Dachi of Iberia, making it the oldest surviving church in Tbilisi. The building underwent significant restoration work in the middle of the twentieth century.
The basilica hosts a choir that performs traditional Georgian polyphonic singing, and you can hear these voices during morning services when the space fills with sound.
The church sits on Ioane Shavteli Street in the Old Town and is easy to reach on foot. Regular services take place throughout the week, and visitors can enter during the day, with the main entrance on the western side of the building.
The church got its name in 1675 from an ancient icon created by goldsmith Beka Opizari, and this artwork is now kept at the Art Museum of Georgia. This link between the place's name and the work of a single craftsman is quite unusual.
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