Kutaisi (Kutaisi)

Kutaisi (Kutaisi) – The city in Western Georgia, located on both shores of the Rioni River at an altitude of 125-300 m above sea level, 221 km from Tbilisi. Population – 186,000 people (2002).

This is the second largest city in the country, as well as one of the most important educational and scientific centers in Georgia.

In Kutaisi, there are Cathedral of Bagrati and the Gelastic Monastery – UNESCO World Heritage Monuments.

In the architectural plan, the oldest right bank of Kutaisi is most interesting. Here are 1-2-storey houses with hanging glazed verandas, located over the other on the steep slopes of the mountains drowning in greenery.

Bagrati Cathedral Temple (Bagrati Cathedral) – The temple, built in Kutaisi in Bagrat III, as the chief cathedral of his kingdom and consecrated in honor of the Assumption of the Virgin in 1003.

The magnificent in size and proportions of the temple became a fundamentally new word in the history of the Transcaucasian architecture, was magnificently decorated with carvings and mosaics and played an exceptional role in the medieval history of Georgia. In particular, it was here that David IV Builder was crowned.

During the Turk attack in 1691, the gunpower destroyed the roof and the dome of the cathedral (never was restored).

In 1994, the Bagrate Temple was introduced by UNESCO in the number of World Heritage sites, in 2001 transferred to the Georgian Orthodox Church, which periodically spends servicing here.

Gelati Monastery (Gelati Monastery) – The most significant medieval monastery in Georgia. Center of church and cultural life, residence of Catholicos from the 2nd floor. XVI B. up to 1814., World Heritage Monument (1994).

The monastery was founded by the king David IV builder in 1106 and became his tomb. The Cathedral Church was built until 1125 and was decorated with mosaics for another five years, which are revered by the best in all Transcaucasia. At that time, the monastery was the location of the Gelant Academy, the members of which were vividly interested in ancient Greek philosophy.

In the XIII century, the churches of St. Nicholas and St. George, as well as a three-core belfry. Stenomembe refers to different periods of Georgian history, from the XII to the XVIII century; Especially remarkable portrait images of messenger specimen. Previously, there were many valuable icons and objects of applied art in the monastery; In Soviet times, they were withdrawn and distributed on museums.

Motameta (MotSameta) – This is a small, very beautiful monastery with round turrets, crowned with pointed tantle domes, located near Kutaisi. It is located very close to the Gelantian monastery, but fell apart from him canyon and a small mountain.

The main temple was built in memory of David’s brothers and Konstantine Mkhaidze, who died from the torture of the Arab invaders in the VII century and the licks of the Holy Georgian church. Their relics lie in the same tomb, the foot of which are wooden lions. On the feast of David and Constantine to the monastery, the Bogomols flock from all the ends of Western Georgia, and the tomb of martyrs surrounds the people more numerous than the battle squad, when they entered into battle with Murvan.

Tsar Bagrat III rebuilt the church in the X century. This building was once again reconstructed in the XIX century.

10 km north-west of Kutaisi there is a unique natural object – Sataplia Reserve (Sataplia Nature Reserve).

Of all the environmental protection zones of Georgia, the Satapali reserve is highlighted primarily in the fact that the crater is extinct volcano on its territory. In addition to that, here you can admire and many karst caves, within which all new stalagmites and stalactites are not ceased to form. Among the local caves of the longest cave with a move of about 600 m.

Other landmarks of the Satalovsky Mountain Mountain are presented in the form of petrified traces of dinosaurs. Scientists were established that these ancient animals were inhabited in the Caucasus of about 70 million. years ago. In addition to traces of the habitat of dinosaurs, everything on the same grief of Satali was found traces of the stay of an ancient person. The whole parking lot was able to dig in the mountain, after numerous samples and analyzes found that this parking belonged to the stone century.

Due to the fact that the slopes of the Satal Mountain are shipped into the atmosphere of a warm, almost subtropical type of climate, many plants are growing here, of which about 20 types of endemics.

Local Ornithofaun has 50 permanent species permanent. Large animals are almost not found here, but small (jackal, fox, badger, hare and others) are present even in excess.

The first mention of Kutaisi in history belong to the VI – III centuries. to N. NS.

From 806 – The capital of the Abkhaz kingdom.

Before the liberation of Tbilisi (1122) from Seljuk Turkings was a residence of Georgian kings.

Since the XV century, the center of the Imereti kingdom.

In the 1760s, he was captured by the Turks and was released by Russian and Imereti troops in 1770.

In 1810, Russia is attached.

During the years of Soviet power, the influence center of Georgia.

After the collapse of the USSR, the city’s economy, like all of Georgia, fell into the deepest crisis.