Zedazeni Monastery, Eastern Orthodox monastery in Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Georgia

Zedazeni Monastery is a 6th-century Eastern Orthodox complex located on Mount Zedazeni at approximately 1,180 meters elevation in Mtskheta-Mtianeti. The site contains a three-nave basilica, defensive walls, and monastic cells carved directly into the mountainside.

The monastery was founded in 535 by Saint John, one of thirteen Assyrian fathers who arrived to establish Eastern Christian monasticism in the Kingdom of Iberia. Their arrival marked the beginning of organized monastic life in the region.

The monastery stands on the site of a former shrine to the idol Zaden, from which the name Zedazeni derives. Saint John chose this mountain in 535 and settled with his disciples Tathe and Eliya the deacon. Pilgrims gather on 7 May, when water is said to appear in the basin inside the church where John is buried.

The monastery stands on the Zedazeni ridge on the left bank of the Aragvi, northeast of Mtskheta. The church is entered from the south; the west entrance is a later addition. The complex is reached by a mountain road, and the surviving defensive walls are badly damaged, so watch your footing around the ruins.

The monastery stands on the site of a shrine to the idol Zaden, from which its name derives. Inside the church where Saint John is buried there is a water basin that, according to tradition, holds water only on 7 May, when many pilgrims gather for the feast.