Great Journey 🏍 Day 363
Cave monasteries have already fascinated us so much in Bulgaria and Cappadocia (Turkey). Monks live in hollowed-out chambers on mountain slopes. That's how you could put it in simplified terms. Nothing with all-inclusive, pool and room service. But a view par excellence.
We visit 2 completely different cave monasteries in the Kakheti region, near the Azerbaijani border. The first one is absolutely unknown, inhabited by 3 monks. One of the three has lived up here continuously for 17 years.
Many of the cave monasteries were destroyed during the Soviet era, misappropriated and used for other purposes. At that time, the region served as a military training zone, as the weather and mountain conditions are (supposed to be) similar to those in Afghanistan.
The monks try to preserve what can be preserved and you can see the sometimes unsuccessful attempts to repair destroyed caves.
The second monastery, far better known, is currently trying to make it onto the Unesco list: David Gareja. It is said to be the oldest monastery in Georgia and stands directly on the border ridge with Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, there have been border problems of whatever kind in the last two or three years, so we can only admire the monastery on the Georgian side.
Here we admire the technology of water collection, because even wannabes have to drink something. They have ground the rocks in such a way that the condensation that accumulates at night can easily drip into collecting containers. And in the morning there is enough water in the cisterns for coffee. So I've simplified it for you, you know...
The frescoes of the cave monastery are considered the most important works of medieval painting in Georgia. Okay, we are probably missing the medieval Georgian view, we find the monastery as a whole really beautiful, whether the frescoes are outstanding is left to those in the know.
We, for one, are also happy about the mundane things in life: Drinking water from the tap to rid our faces of the sweat-dust mixture and to fill up our water bottles.
#DavidGareja #Höhlenklsoter #cleverMonks
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