The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is located in the city of Mtskheta and is one of the most significant religious and cultural monuments in Georgia.
It was built in the fourth century, but the current structure dates back to the eleventh century.
Facades are decorated with stone carvings, characteristic of Georgian architecture between the end of the tenth and the beginning of the eleventh century while the interior is adorned with frescoes and mosaics.
The cathedral contains the tombs of many Georgian kings and queens, including King Vakhtang Gorgasali who founded the city of Tbilisi.
The cathedral’s name translates to “pillar that gives life,” and it is believed to have been built on the site where Christ’s sacred tunic was buried.
There is a religious legend linked to the origin of this church that tells of Elioz who found the tunic of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. He took her to Mtskheta, the ancient capital, but his sister Sidonia died as soon as she touched the tunic and was buried wrapped in it.
A large cedar of Lebanon grew on his tomb. When the ruler Mirian decided to build a temple in the place where the sacred tunic had been buried, the cedar was cut down.
Seven columns were made from the tree for the construction of the temple. Six columns were placed in place, but the seventh remained suspended in mid-air.
Also, according to legend, Santa Nino prayed throughout the night and the column miraculously positioned itself and began to drip a sacred ointment.
Already during the Middle Ages, Mtskheta was the spiritual heart of the Georgian Church. Since then, all major church ceremonies have been held in the Svetitskhoveli Temple.
