In Tbilisi, Georgia, the Betlemi Church (Zemo Betlemi) is on the slope of the Sololaki range, called the Betlemi slope, underneath the ridge that accommodates that Natakala fortress, its remaining walls, the giant silver statue of the Mother of Georgia, and the botanical gardens.
The
ridge is accessible by the cable car at Rike (Rikhe) Park by the river and the
Bridge of Peace.
Or
you can walk up 358 steps – located in the suburb of Sololaki by the Old City.
Halfway
up the steps is the Betlemi Church, first built in the fifth century into the
rock face, although this church was erected in the 18th century by
Armenians. During the Soviet period, it was a factory, and afterwards handed
over to the Georgian Orthodox Church in 1994. It is a domed church with a
belfry. Another church, the Kvemo Betlemi, built in 1868 is below the Zemo
Betlemi Church.
There
are 159 steps from the base (Betlemi street level) to the churches. The Betlemi
steps, or Betlemi Street steps as they are formally known, were constructed in
1850 by architect Timote Beloi.
From
the church, another 189 steps, mostly of new construction, provide the way to
the top of the ridge, with magnificent views of the city of Tbilisi.
MARTINA NICOLLS is an international
aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of
Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet
(2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).
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