CULTURE:

Zedazeni Monastery

In The Saguramo Nature Reserve

Photo and Text by Paata Vardanashvili

To the north-west of Mtskheta on the top of Saguramo mountain ridge, the outlines of the Zedazeni Monastery are seen. The chronicler says it was founded by St. John, the leader of Thirteen Syrian Fathers. Here the first church building is dated of the 6th century. Earlier there stood a pagan idol of Georgia - Zaden (the idol of war). The Zedazeni Ridge was named after it as well as the monastery - the Zedazeni Monastery. In the Middle Ages the monastery was an important center of literary activities. Later it played an important role as a fortified castle for defense.The road to the Monastery passed Saguramo. It winds up through deciduous wood as if making a horizon line with the sky with the fence wall.
Zedazeni is the most beautiful place to have a look over the surroundings, most beautiful with then carpet of deciduous trees up to the Djvari Monastery. A narrow line of the river Aragvi sparkles like silver below. Blue surface of the Tbilisi Sea resembles emerald. A thin mist surrounds the environment like a dream.

Uploaded on April 30, 2007 by Paata Vardanashvili

More To The: Saguramo Nature Reserve (Is located in the East part of Georgia, Mtsketa district. (...) There are no rivers in the reserve. But there is a lot of springs and brooks there.
There are a lot of historical monuments in the reserve: Mtskheta Jvari (VI c.) Zedazeni Monastery (VIII c.), Goris Ubani, Kasauri church, Aguri church, Nadarbazevi ect. There is a museum of Ilia Chavchavadze in the village Saguramo near the reserve. )