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MARTIVILI MONASTERY

Martvili is one of the most sacred sites in Georgia. According to tradition, St Andrew the Apostle cut down an oak worshiped by the pagans on this site and, after they had converted to Christianity, founded a church, the altar of which stood on the roots of the felled oak. In the early Middle Ages, Martvili became a renowned monastery and, from the tenth century, also a Bishop’s See. The main church of the monastery, which serves as a cathedral, is dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God. It was built in the seventh century as a free copy of the Jvari Church at Mtskheta. Music - “Holy God” performed by Zarzma choir