Photos of the Medieval David Gareja Cave Monastery Georgia

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Photos of the remote picturesque Medieval David Gareja Cave Monastery Georgia (country). Photos by photographer Paul E Williams.  (TIP – use the icons below the slideshow for thumbnail photos and info)

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Photos of the remote picturesque Medieval David Gareja Cave Monastery Georgia (country).

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Photos of David Gareja Georgian Orthodox monastery, Mount Gareja, Kakheti Region, Georgia (country).

Mount Gareja Cave Monastery Complex

Cut into the rock slopes of the remote Mount Gareja, the David Gareja Monastery is an early Christian complex. It has 19 Medieval monasteries with approximately 5 000 cells for monks. It was founded in the 6th century by David (St. David Garejeli). He was one of the thirteen Assyrian monks who built monasteries throughout Georgia.

Bronze Age Settlements

The site has been populated for at leat 4000 years as is shown by Bronze Age tombs excavations. During the Bronze Age Mount Gareja and the surrounding area was forested. During the 1st millennium BC smelting in the region caused deforestation. By the time the monks arrived in the 6th century the area had become the arid semi desert we see today.

Building of David Gareja Monastery

To survive the monks of the David Gareja Monastery had to become adept at collecting and storing water in cistern. They cut small channels into areas of smooth rock faces on Mount Gareja which funnelled the water into cisterns.

The monks mined into the natural sandstone by building fires to heat the rock, They then poured cold water onto the hot sandstone which cracked the rock so creating a small cave. They repeated this technique to increase the size of the caves.

Towers were built at each monastery so that signals could be sent between them. The monastery is spread out over a huge area of the arid Mount Gareja ridge, with small cells and chapels cut into cliff faces. Today part of the monastery is in Azerbaijan. In the 9th century the monastery was further developed by saint Ilarion.

A David Gareja convent was used to house the female siblings of the Georgian royal and noble families. In 12th-century Georgian king Demetre I abdicated and retired to David Gareja to live out his life as a monk.

In the 11th century a terraced courtyard was built at David Gareja, with new cells, a refectory and a church. Behind this part of the monastery more canals were cut in the long sloping rock face channeling water into cisterns.

The Demise of David Gareja Monastery

From here the monks would farm the arid land around and tend their flock of sheep and goats. The heydays of David Gareja were from the 10th century until it was sacked by a Mongol army in 1265.

Massacre of David Gareja Monks

The monasteries were rebuilt and worked until 1615, when Shah Aggas massacred 6000 monks during the David Gareja Easter Night Procession. The monasteries were destroyed and unique manuscripts Georgian art were destroyed.

In 1690 the fortunes of David Gareja were resurrected by Onopre Machutadze when he became father superior of the monastery. The monasteries though slowly declined until they were abandoned in the 19th century.

David Gareja Use By USSR Troop Training

The Soviet occupation of Georgia saw terrible destruction to David Gareja as the area was used to train Soviet troops. They were destined to serve in Afghanistan and the terrain around David Gareja resembles it. The buildings of David Gareja were used for target practice until pressure from Georgian nationalists finally halted the destruction in 1991.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

David Gareja is today is again a working monastery and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the most important landmarks of Georgia