Gelati Monastery
Gelati Monastery
4.5
Historic SitesPoints of Interest & LandmarksArchitectural BuildingsReligious Sites
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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debndon
Phoenix, AZ212 contributions
Jun 2022
For those planning on visiting the Gelati Monastery there is scaffolding in the nave of the Cathedral of the Virgin and access is limited blocking the view of most of the frescos. You can only peer into the nave over a rope. There is access to other chapels and the Church of St George. Date of visit June 29, 2022. This would be a 5 without the scaffolding.
Written July 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Игорь К
Riga, Latvia3,748 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
The Gelati Monastery, located in the vicinity of Kutaisi, is one of the most important in Georgia because it is connected with the life activities of Tsar David the Builder. It was founded by him in 1106, a step dedicated to his victories over the Seljuks, and in 1125 David the Builder was buried in Gelati, thus establishing a tradition — Gelati became a tomb for many subsequent Georgian and Imeretian kings.
Gelati stands in a very picturesque place,
at the foot of wooded mountains. It resembles a fortress, consists of three churches and other monastery buildings. The entire ensemble is in a single architectural style, all structures are stone, equally faced and crowned with domes – this is the result of the recent restoration that took place in 2012–2014. In the main monastery church of the Nativity of the Virgin (1106–1130) you will see first of all the iron gates of the city of Ganja, under whose arch King David is buried. According to his will, the grave is covered with a slab so that everyone can walk on it. Inside, the temple is painted from bottom to top and looks extremely majestic. In the western side chapel are the original frescoes of 1125 and a mosaic of Our Lady of Nicopea with the Child of the same time, on the northern wall to the left of the altar you can see the scene of the Entrance to Jerusalem and figures of kings, including David the Builder with a model of the temple in his hand. To the left will be frescoes from the 16th century depicting King Bagrat III of Imeretin and his family. On either side of the main church stand two other churches built in the 13th century. The Church of St. Nicholas is particularly interesting - it has no ground floor, and instead only an empty gallery with arches. The bell tower dates from about the same time, but it has only recently been seriously rebuilt and restored. It stands directly above the spring. In 2014, the 14th century Gelati Academy building was also restored — the monastery was the educational center of all Western Georgia at that time.
Gelati stands in a very picturesque place,
at the foot of wooded mountains. It resembles a fortress, consists of three churches and other monastery buildings. The entire ensemble is in a single architectural style, all structures are stone, equally faced and crowned with domes – this is the result of the recent restoration that took place in 2012–2014. In the main monastery church of the Nativity of the Virgin (1106–1130) you will see first of all the iron gates of the city of Ganja, under whose arch King David is buried. According to his will, the grave is covered with a slab so that everyone can walk on it. Inside, the temple is painted from bottom to top and looks extremely majestic. In the western side chapel are the original frescoes of 1125 and a mosaic of Our Lady of Nicopea with the Child of the same time, on the northern wall to the left of the altar you can see the scene of the Entrance to Jerusalem and figures of kings, including David the Builder with a model of the temple in his hand. To the left will be frescoes from the 16th century depicting King Bagrat III of Imeretin and his family. On either side of the main church stand two other churches built in the 13th century. The Church of St. Nicholas is particularly interesting - it has no ground floor, and instead only an empty gallery with arches. The bell tower dates from about the same time, but it has only recently been seriously rebuilt and restored. It stands directly above the spring. In 2014, the 14th century Gelati Academy building was also restored — the monastery was the educational center of all Western Georgia at that time.
Automatically translated
Written September 21, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dirk W
Alexandra Headland, Australia10,118 contributions
Aug 2023 • Solo
The medieval monastic complex of Gelati was build early 12th century, which was the Golden Age of Georgia. It is a gem, showcasing architecture, paintings and mosaics. Unfortunately for me, the scaffolding and restoration works (that have been going on for ages) blocked nearly all the paintings and mosaics in the Church of Virgin the Blessed. But these things need to be done, so we just have to accept this (and come back in a few years).
Gelati, deservedly, is part of UNESCO's World Heritage not only because of its architecture, but also because it was an important educational and scientific center. The monastery and church are still active and lots of important historical figures are buried here.
Gelati, deservedly, is part of UNESCO's World Heritage not only because of its architecture, but also because it was an important educational and scientific center. The monastery and church are still active and lots of important historical figures are buried here.
Written November 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
IowaWillAlwaysBeHome
11 contributions
Jun 2024 • Solo
I went on a Saturday and it was crowded with busloads of tourists (many Georgian). Bathrooms were closed, scaffolding still covered the entire inside. Sadly, no explanations in English are there and no guides to hire. Still, there were beautiful nooks and crannies, and the gravesite of King David the Builder, plus lovely views over the countryside. If you're in Kutaisi, you must go. If you're in Tbilisi, not sure it's worth the trip.
Written June 16, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Calle K
Hong Kong, China1,815 contributions
Jan 2020
Easy drive to go here.
Very impressive and untouched place, you really feel part of the history. So much better than Bagrati.
Good guide and it was almost empty when we left. We gave the guide 5 lari for her service. And she was not pushy at all, not a lot of English spoken but her German was okay.
The church has a great feeling.
Take your time here and feel in the place and have a look at everything. Amazing frescoes and mosaics.
Very impressive and untouched place, you really feel part of the history. So much better than Bagrati.
Good guide and it was almost empty when we left. We gave the guide 5 lari for her service. And she was not pushy at all, not a lot of English spoken but her German was okay.
The church has a great feeling.
Take your time here and feel in the place and have a look at everything. Amazing frescoes and mosaics.
Written February 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anna P
Western Poland, Poland680 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
Of course, I was wrong and I described Gelati in place of Bagrati, which is in the city. Gelati is a complex of several buildings and the mausoleum of King David the Builder. Maybe I will be able to visit again after the reconstruction of the frescoes. It will certainly take a few years, because they started recently.
Written April 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bisayang Laagan
Dubai, United Arab Emirates171 contributions
Apr 2019 • Friends
The Gelati Monastery is in Kutaisi, Imereti Province, Georgia. It signifies the value of the Georgian Christian orthodox religion. Inside the monastery is full of murals and an abundance amount imagery surrounding the interior of the church. It was one of the first monastery in Georgia and adds great value to the Georgian culture and beauty.
The nickname of The Gelati Monastery is the “Golden Age of Georgia”. The monastery was built during the Byzantine Empire which is known for the use of gold aesthetic in their paintings and buildings. It was built to show how Christianity encompassed all of this land and that Georgia was filled with Christian gospel all around even high up in the mountains. As the monastery is covered in arches that stretch over mountains show how encompassing the monastery is over the mountains and over the hills.
The nickname of The Gelati Monastery is the “Golden Age of Georgia”. The monastery was built during the Byzantine Empire which is known for the use of gold aesthetic in their paintings and buildings. It was built to show how Christianity encompassed all of this land and that Georgia was filled with Christian gospel all around even high up in the mountains. As the monastery is covered in arches that stretch over mountains show how encompassing the monastery is over the mountains and over the hills.
Written June 24, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BrixtonMassive
Melbourne, Australia66 contributions
Feb 2016 • Couples
Getting there was easy. From behind the Main Theatre in Kutaisi there are marshutkas, just as around. The one that we got had a painted picture on the sign. It departed at 1100 in the morning and took 30 mins.
From here you can easily walk to Motsameta Monastery.
- Walk down to the main road from Gelati, Turn left.
- Walk until you come to a shop on the left this is the second street you will come to.
- Take a left down the dirt road and follow it until you reach the train tracks.
- Go left along the train tracks until you reach the abandoned rail station
- You will see Motsameta Monastery down to your left.
You can follow the train tracks back into town if you want to. This is what we did.
Its a nice place though is under going a lot of external restoration works.
A very nice lady showed us around pointing out many things we would have missed had we not met her.
Enjoy.
From here you can easily walk to Motsameta Monastery.
- Walk down to the main road from Gelati, Turn left.
- Walk until you come to a shop on the left this is the second street you will come to.
- Take a left down the dirt road and follow it until you reach the train tracks.
- Go left along the train tracks until you reach the abandoned rail station
- You will see Motsameta Monastery down to your left.
You can follow the train tracks back into town if you want to. This is what we did.
Its a nice place though is under going a lot of external restoration works.
A very nice lady showed us around pointing out many things we would have missed had we not met her.
Enjoy.
Written February 6, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
travellerX49
Warrnambool, Australia392 contributions
Sep 2019 • Friends
Even if you are all churched out this complex is worth a visit. The church is twelfth century and many of the frescoes date back to this time although with the ravages of time and invaders many are damaged. The church has great feeling and atmosphere. The traditional place of burial for some of the Georgian kings most notably David the Builder. There are the buildings of an academy that dated back to the same period where they taught traditional subjects like Greek and Latin but also wine making! There are currently archeological excavations that are uncovering further early buildings. This complex is well worth a visit.
Written September 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Agocs Gergo
Budapest, Hungary72 contributions
Jul 2019 • Friends
We arrived at around 11 am on 30 July by our rented car as part of a self-organized trip. We had to pay 2 GEL parking fee, otherwise visiting the church complex is free of charge. There were only around a couple of visitors. The church is under renovation (hopefully they won't overdo it like in case of the Bagrati cathedral which was consequently removed from the list of World Heritage sites...). The monastery is still active, some monks live there. Some locals provide unofficial guidance, which I recommend: our guide was a lady who gave us detailed information in German (she didn't speak English) and explained everything about every component of the site in an hour (she mixed facts with legends, though). We gave her 20 GEL gratuity. Decent clothing is expected: shoulders and legs should be covered for men (no sleeveless shirts or shorts), for women the head, too. The main church still has some 12th century frescoes and mosaics in their original state, other frescoes were renovated multiple times throughout history. The view is also great from the tower next to the church. There are some roadside vendors outside the church premises but we didn't buy anything. I recommend to visit.
Written August 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is It possible to take pictures without flash inside the church?
Written November 25, 2020
What time does the monastery open? Is it possible to get a taxi directly to the airport from there?
We need to get our flight at 1pm so will need to leave at 10.30am and will only have the morning to view the sight.
Written April 12, 2019
It opens usually at 8 o’clock in the morning but the monks live in the monastery. If they can see your interest, I suppose they will open in any reasonable time. I do not think the taxi from the airport is the best idea. The price is definitely much higher than marshrutkas from the airport to Kutaisi and Kutaisi to Gelati (and back) plus some accomodation.
Written April 14, 2019
Lidik
Moscow, Russia
Добрый день! На некоторых ресурсах прочитала, что в субботу-воскресенье монастырь закрыт. Это правда? Нужно ли платить за вход?
Written March 17, 2019
Вход бесплатный,там можно купить всякие сувенирчики. На счет выходных навряд ли,так как каждый день совершается служба,венчания.
Written April 10, 2019
Доброго дня! Подскажите, пожалуйста, кто сейчас является настоятелем монастыря Гелати?
Written December 10, 2018
Здравствуйте! Точно сказать не могу, знаю только, что в монастыре 10 монахов, старший из них Иосиф.
Written December 11, 2018
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