Not far from Kutaisi , the capital city of Georgia in olden times, king David the Builder decided to found a monastery and in 1106 the great Monastery of the Virgin Mary - Gelati was born.

The Gelati Monastery for a long time remained a cultural and enlightening centre in old Georgia. It had an Academy which employed the most celebrated Georgian scientists-theologians, philosophers and doctors of law, many of whom had previously been active at various monasteries abroad or at the Mangan Academy of Constantinople. Among the scientists were such celebrated scholars as Ioann Petricci and Arsen Ikaltoeli. Due to the extensive enlightening work carried out by Gelati Academy, people of the time used to call it "a new Hellados", "a second Athens".

The Gelati Monastery belongs to those few architectural ensembles in Georgia which have preserved their principal structures along with rich information on their foundation and building.
The Gelati Monastery has preserved a great number of murals dating back to the 12th-18th centuries.
The marvelous architecture of the Gelati complex with its unique mosaic and frescos as if revives the bygone days, takes us back to the history and reminds us of its Great founder - Georgian King David.
Enchanting beauty of Gelati attracts a lot of visitors. Thousands of people visit it annually.

TRULY A MUST SEE PLACE IN GEORGIA!

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