Ateni Sioni church in Georgia under repair

Near Gori (10 kilometres/6 miles), the regional capital of Shida Kartli, in Georgia, is the Ateni Sioni church. Gori is an hour and half drive west of the capital, Tbilisi.

The Ateni Sioni church was built in early 7th-century near the Tana River. It is currently under rehabilitation, inside and out. The engineer commenced work early this year and expects to take another 8 years to complete the repairs.

Inside is a fresco, Joseph's Dream, which is also being restored. The walls of the church contain the first inscriptions by Nuskhuri of the early Georgian alphabet, dating from 835. The first examples of Mkhedruli, a currently used Georgian script, are also found in the Ateni Sioni church and date back to the 980s.

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