Svetitskhoveli Cathedral

Svetitskhoveli is the spiritual centre of Georgia. Mtskheta was the country's capital when Christianity arrived in the 4th century, and tradition holds that the robe of Christ, brought here from Jerusalem by a Jewish Mtskhetan named Elias, is buried beneath this floor. The name means "the living pillar", after the miraculous column that is said to have raised itself during the building of the first wooden church.

The present building was completed between 1010 and 1029 by the architect Arsukisdze. It is one of the largest historical structures in Georgia, and its proportions read more powerfully inside than out. Walls, towers and a gate surround it: this was a cathedral and a fortress at the same time.

Inside you will find:

• Frescoes from the 11th to the 17th century, including a large Last Judgement on the west wall
• Royal tombs of the Bagrationi dynasty set into the floor and marked with slabs
• The presumed site of the robe, marked by a stone ciborium near the centre
• A carved right hand on the north facade, tied to the legend that the king had the architect's hand cut off so he could never build its equal

Svetitskhoveli is an active cathedral, and on Sundays it fills with baptisms and weddings. That does not block visiting; it gives the place its living context.