David Gareji Monastery Complex in Georgia

Two hours southeast of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, is the unique 6th century David Gareji complex of Monastery caves.

The majority of the complex is in Georgia with part of it across the border in Azerbaijan. In Georgia the complex is spread over 25 km of arid landscape in the Kakheti region, with hundreds of buildings and churches built into rocks and cliffs, many of them still inhabited by monks. The complex unites approximately twenty monasteries, including the St. John the Baptist Monastery located within the David-Gareji Wilderness. Presently only three of these monasteries are functional.

The monasteries were often attacked by foreign invaders. In the 11th century the complex was destroyed by Seljuk Turks; in the 13th century by Mongols; and in the17th century by Persians. After Tsarist Russia occupied The Kingdom of Georgia, David Gareji was abandoned twice (in 1811-1917 and from 1922-1980s). After Georgia became an independent state in 1991, monastery life undertook a revival.

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