Tsaishi, located about 10 km southwest of Zugdidi in the Samegrelo province, is the site of one of the oldest episcopal sees in western Georgia. In the register of bishoprics compiled under the name of the early Christian theologian Epiphanius of Salamis—but actually written in the seventh century—the bishop of the Saisins is listed among the hierarchs of Lazica, a reference corresponding to what later became Tsaishi.

A single -nave church near the village of Nabakhtevi used to be the main church of a big monastery built in the 14th c. in Kartli, the central region of east Georgia. It was a family church of the Amirejibi feudal house built and decorated upon their commission.

Before discussing one of the greatest recognitions of Georgian culture, it is worth recalling how a new understanding of cultural heritage emerged globally and evolved within the framework of modernity.