Kutaisi tour

1 Day

Kutaisi – antique Kutaia. In certain historical periods it was the second capital of Georgia after Tbilisi according to largeness. According to the legend about Golden Fleece, Kutaisi is that very land where the epic legend of the Argonauts was acted out. In the 6th century BC, the tribes of western Georgia formed a state, the Kingdom of Colchis, lying along the east coast of the Black Sea. The legend tells of the courageous Hellenes who led by Jason, crossed the Straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorous and reached the shores of the Kingdom of Colchis where the powerful King Aeetes reigned, and where the golden fleece was kept. Ancient Colchis held the secret of how to obtain gold; the discovery of this secret and the acquisition of the golden fleece was the Argonauts' quest.

• Bagrati Church – (11th c). It is an old architectural monument of Kutaisi. Nowadays only ruins are left from the church. One of the UNESCO heritage sites.
• Gelati Complex comprises the churches of the Virgin (the main church), of St Nicolas, of St. George, as well as the academy which was the centre of cultural and spiritual life. The Gelaty monastery complex was founded by King David the Builder in the 12th c. It is noted by the finest examples of Georgian mural painting. Among them is the only surviving portrait of King David the Builder whose grave can be found at the gateway of the monastery. The giant 12th century mosaic of the Virgin with Child is completely unique.
• Motsameta Monastery Complex (8th-11th cc) is beautifully situated between the valleys of two rivers near Kutaisi. In the 8th century, brothers David and Konstantine Mkheidzes, the Lords of the region, were assassinated here by Arabs, for refusing to convert to Islam. The old church was destroyed. A present monastery complex was built on the site of the old church by King Bagrat in 11th century. "Motsameta" monastery means "monastery of martyrs". The sacred remains of the brothers are kept in the Crypt of the church.
• Sataplia Cave is a rather small one, famous for fine speleothems and the dinosaur footprints nearby. The tour enters the through-cave on one hillside, crosses the hill underground and then goes back on the surface past the dinosaur footprints. This cave is hard to reach and not very much visited by individual travelers.