Tour to Katskhi Pillar&Chiatura from Tbilisi (Mghvimevi,Cableway, Ubisa,Tsitska)

Monastery Mgvimevi

Mghvimevi (cave) Mothers' Monastery is a 13th century two-nave basilica, dedicated to the Nativity of the Mother of God partly carved into rock. The complex includes a small hall church, bell-tower, and a circuit wall. Small caves around the monastery served as refuges during wartime. The facade has carvings around the window, monumental crosses, interlocking rhombuses, cornice carvings, etc. Wooden iconostasis depicts the Savior and Twelve Apostles and various scenes from the life of Jesus made in the 18th century.

Chiatura

Chiatura is a mining town in a mountain valley of the Qvirila River. In 1879 the Georgian poet Akaki Tsereteli discovered the manganese and as a mining colony, Chiatura quickly became a source for manganese and iron and was declared a city in 1921. Due to the steep sided river valley, workers spent a large amount of time walking up from the town to the mines, thereby reducing productivity. In 1954 cable car system was installed to transport workers. Still utilizing the original infrastructure of the 1950s, today 17 cable car systems still exist. The central hub with 4 lines is being rebuilt with modern cable car technology.

Katskhi Monastery of Nativity of the Savior is a medieval monastery built by the Baguashi family in the period of 988–1014. The church building is noted for a hexagonal design and rich ornamentation. The exterior of the church features three gradually narrowing cylindrical levels. The building was richly ornate, but the decoration of two upper tiers was lost in the process of the 1854 restoration. The relief at the southern vestibule is the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, featuring a cross supported by four angels. The church is surrounded by a pentagonal wall with a free-standing bell tower added in the 17th or 18th centuries.