Tsughrughasheni Monastery

16 August 2017

In historical Kvemo Kartli, 10 km from Bolnisi, in Poladauri Valley, on the right bank of the river with the same name, on the slope of a mountain there is Tsughrughasheni Monastery and Lasha Giorgi Caves. The monastery has 3 entrances from each side except east.

There is practically no mention of  Tsughrughasheni Monastery in historical sources.   Not much can be  said based on three inscriptions on the monastery’s facade.

Tsughrughasheni is in the category of the first half of XIII century sites.  That means that “King of the Kings Giorgi” is George IV Lasha, heir of Tamar of Georgia.

Since the 90s of the last century Tsughrughasheni is an active monastery again and the fact that it’s included in the UNESCO Classifier, says much about its international significance.