Pirgebuli

17 August 2017

Pirgebuli - a monument of Georgian architecture from the XIII century, St Mary's monastery complex (10 km from southwest of Tetritskaro, on the left bank of Khrami river). There is a well preserved central building – a large church which, according to fragments and inscriptions, was built during the reign of Rusudan (1222-1245). The church was covered with paintings inside. On the outside walls there’re inscriptions. One of them says that somebody named Elis Saginashvili of Tiflis built a southern fence and a churchyard for the church in the  XVII century. The church was encircled by a fence which included a 3-storied  church tower (only two stories remains) where the first storey was a gate. On the southwest side of the church there’re remains of a large building. Caves arranged in cliffs were used by monks as monastic cells. On the slope above the church there is a hall church from the later period.