Likhauri church, Religious monument in Likhauri, Georgia.
Likhauri Church is a hall-type stone church in the village centre of Likhauri, Ozurgeti Municipality, Guria, not a mountain settlement. It is nearly square in plan, with a five-sided apse projecting east on a two-step base, arched windows on three apse faces, and a later west porch. A two-storey bell tower built in 1422 stands west of the church.
The church was built in 1352 under Kakhaber, ruler of Guria, according to Ekvtime Takaishvili and Dimitri Bakradze; art historians place it in the second half of the 13th century. Gia Chanchvili attributes construction to Marushan Vardanisdze, with a portico added by Kakhaber Gurieli. Giorgi IV Gurieli and Queen Khvaramze funded restoration of the south facade, rebuilt in stone and brick.
The church is dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. Its old name, Rekhoeli, survives in a Georgian asomtavruli inscription on the west facade of the bell tower, dated 1422. The bell tower holds two bells, one an old cast-iron bell without inscription.
Likhauri is a village in the Ozurgeti Municipality of Guria, not a mountain settlement. The church stands on a raised hill in the village centre, surrounded by the village cemetery. A reinforced concrete retaining wall, 10 metres high and 23 metres long, was built in 2010–11 on three terraces to protect the monument from natural events.
The building holds official status as a Cultural Monument of National Importance in Georgia. This recognition highlights its role in preserving Georgian heritage and architectural traditions.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,085 contributors worldwide.