Tour of Mtskheta - Gori - Uplistsikhe

Gori is a city in eastern Georgia, the center of Shida-Kartli region and the center of the municipality of the same name. Founded by David the Builder. Population - 54.7 thousand people DESCRIPTION OF MARSHRUTATbilisi-Gori-Uflistsikhe-Mtskheta-Tbilisi1. The Joseph Stalin Museum in Gori is a historical museum in Georgia dedicated to the life of the most famous native of the city, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, who became the head of the Soviet government and actually led the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1953. The museum consists of three parts. Each part tells about a particular period of Stalin’s life. There is really something to see and to be surprised. 2.Uplistsikhe (Georgian: .の.) God’s Fortress is an ancient cave city, one of the first cities in Georgia. Uplistsikhe is carved into a rock located 12 km east of the town of Gori on the left bank of the Kura River. The city appeared at the end of the II - at the beginning of the I millennium BC, experienced several ups and downs, was finally abandoned in the XIX century and is thus a multi-layered archaeological site, one of the most important monuments of Georgian culture. The uniqueness of the monument lies in the fact that it, thanks to its device, preserved the remains of architectural and religious buildings built over several millennia. In its heyday, Uplistsikhe included more than 700 caves and cave structures, of which only 150 have survived to date. But this is enough to wander here all day and admire the unprecedented beauty and skill of human hands. Today Uplistsikhe is not an abandoned useless place, it is a unique landmark of Georgia. Despite all the hardships that this ancient city has experienced, there is a functioning church here, always ready to accept everyone into its fold. Of course, these are not the services that were held here in times of persecution and harassment of local residents. But if you close your eyes, you can hear the talk, the words that were spoken here in those distant and beautiful times when Uplistsikhe was a peaceful and happy city with people who lived and smiled, hoped and believed in their ancient and forgotten faith. 3.Jvari (Georgian: "cross") is a Georgian monastery and temple of the seventh century (between 605 and 642).[1] Located on the top of the mountain at the confluence of Kura and Aragvi near Mtskheta - where, according to historical sources ("Conversion of Georgia", "Life of the Kartli kings"), erected the cross of St. Nina. Jvari is one of the masterpieces of architecture for the perfection of architectural forms and the first World Heritage Site in Georgia. On the slope of Jvari grows a tree of Desire, on which pilgrims tie ribbons, making wishes. 4. Svetitskhoveli (Georgian: life-giving pillar) is the cathedral patriarchal church of the Georgian Orthodox Church in Mtskheta, which for a millennium was the main cathedral of all Georgia. It is listed among the World Heritage Monuments. It is one of the main spiritual centers of Georgia. The central place in the temple itself is the Life-giving Pillar. Touch it dreams of almost everyone who has even heard of its existence. Above the sacred pillar itself, 4 stone walls are built. And on these walls, in all the details in the form of frescoes, the whole wonderful story of Heaton of the Lord is told. There is a lot of fresco here. Not all, unfortunately, have survived, and those that remain belong to the XVI-XVIII centuries. The most valuable of them are those depicting the adoption of Christianity by Georgia and the fresco “12 Apostles”. There is also a picture of how the chief architect of the church cut off the hand of his assistant just because he did a much better job.