In the picturesque valley of the Rioni River, in the heart of Lower Racha, there is a real pearl of the Golden Age – the Nikortsminda Orthodox Church. This amazing structure is unlike all other religious shrines in Georgia. It excites, amazes, and gives the impression that the church was built over several centuries.
The architecture still gives rise to many disputes among learned minds. Why such a shape, so many apses? How can a building look one way on the outside and so different on the inside? Nikortsminda is a real mystery, and if you are ready to solve it, you are invited by a grandiose temple that will give you unforgettable emotions and introduce you to the ancient heritage of Georgia.
An excursion into history
Nikortsminda Orthodox Church was built in the early 11th century (1010–104 AD) during the reign of King Bagrat III. He dedicated it to Saint Nicholas, who is considered the patron saint of Georgia. The church was originally a men’s monastery.
There is a belief that the ruler who led a campaign against Kakheti was simply struck by the beauty of Bochorma Church and decided to build something similar in Racha. Indeed, these two structures bear a certain resemblance, although historians insist that the engineering and architectural solutions are diametrically different.
In the mid-16th century (1534), Nikortsminda fell into decline, but the Imeretian ruler Bagrat restored the sanctuary. It was then that the walls of the church were adorned with exquisite paintings and frescoes that continue to amaze with their “freshness” and magnificent color palette to this day. King Bagrat transformed Nikortsminda into the main and most revered cathedral of the entire Rachin region.
In the second half of the 19th century, a three-story bell tower was erected near Nikortsminda.
This remarkable church is highly revered in Georgia, and in 2012 a decision was made to restore it. During the restoration work, the name of the master who painted the frescoes was discovered – Javakhadze.
Today, Nikortsminda is not only a true “treasure” of Georgia, it is soon to become a part of the world’s cultural heritage! The question of inscribing Nikortsminda on the UNESCO World Heritage List is currently under consideration by a commission.
Nikortsminda is a monastery that has no analogues!
A majestic church is located on a small hill in the center of the village of Nikortsminda, which is 15 km away from the center of Racha, Ambrolauri. The church grounds are enclosed by a low wall; the surroundings are very clean, with spreading trees growing around. Tourists can admire the church while sitting on benches in the shade of the green canopies.
At first glance, Nikortsminda appears to be an ordinary cross-domed church, of which there are many in Georgia. But that is only the initial impression! As soon as you step inside, you enter a space that has no equivalent in the country. The church lacks a western apse, which is surprising, but it has an eastern one. In addition, four apses are arranged in the northern and southern parts of the church – two on each side. The engineering design of the northern apses is intriguing – instead of being arranged parallel to one another as in all other churches, they are set at an angle.
The next intriguing feature of the church is the presence of four deaconries—small square rooms located at the corners of the church. While the eastern rooms are a perfectly understandable solution for 11th-century architecture, the two western ones were an “innovation” of that time, as the interior spaces of neither monasteries nor churches were arranged this way before.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of Nikortsminda is its shape. At first glance, you see an ordinary church that resembles a square more than a cross. But once you step inside, you realize it is an entirely different space! This fact continues to astonish historians, as the interior does not correspond at all to the exterior. This is how churches were built in Georgia from the 6th to the 12th century, and later the technique was completely abandoned. But why then does Nikortsminda, which emerged during the glorious Golden Age, seem to have been lost in time? There are no answers.
The church’s dome is located atop a massive stone drum, lavishly adorned with intricate spiral motifs. The drum is constructed in a hexagonal shape, and the dome has 12 tall windows that fill the church with light. Five apses extend from the five sides of the drum’s base, while one side (the western) has become a continuation of the building’s large stone “sleeve.” Nearby, there is a large bell tower.
Bas-reliefs and frescoes of Nikortsminda
Even before entering the temple, you will see the amazing stone bas-reliefs on its walls. This is a real work of art that will captivate your attention for several hours. Intricate patterns, unusual geometric shapes, exquisite paintings and all this is carved in stone with amazing precision. It seems that not a single ornament is repeated, and this is true! Famous Racha masters, who were famous throughout Georgia for their skill, worked on the creation of the bas-reliefs.
The bas-reliefs of Nikortsminda are another mystery, because their geometry is not typical for the decoration of religious objects. Here you can see not only Christian motifs, but also many antique “chips”. “Belts” of flowers on the outer columns, ovals and squares decorated with images of two-headed horses and other animals.
The facade is richly decorated with arches, numerous images of Saints, and real lace made of stone.
Entering the cathedral, you will see not only a rich iconostasis, a beautifully equipped altar part of the temple. But also the main attraction – amazingly beautiful frescoes. These paintings amaze, first of all, by their preservation. The colors are overflowing with halftones, amazingly shining with glaze in the sun’s rays. The palette is very bright and unusual, a lot of yellow, orange, shades of red and here and there light blue.
The temple is very beautiful, there is not a single “empty” wall. The paintings fill the entire space, smoothly flowing onto the dome. Here you can see biblical motifs, and a picture of the Last Judgment, and numerous faces of the Saints. The temple is also full of various stone figures that decorate both the walls and the dome.
The interior and exterior decoration of Nikortsminda is considered one of the richest and most fascinating in all of Georgia. Only here you will see the work of masters who used several techniques at once to create frescoes and bas-reliefs, which made the temple so grandiose and unique!
Visiting the temple is free, it is active, so there are a lot of people on major church holidays, the services are spectacular, as a rule, they are conducted by several priests.
We’re going to Racha!
This region of Georgia attracts and enchants with its beauty. Amazing green mountains generously covered with forests, delightful alpine meadows where flowers of various shades bloom. And, of course, vineyards beckoning with ripe berries filled with the sun. It is here that you can try the delightful Khvanchkara, which has no equal in all of Georgia.
Sometimes Racha-Lechkhumi is called Switzerland. But can the “foreign country” boast of delightful lakes in the embrace of dense forests, fast rivers, the waters of which fall noisily from the slopes? And in Racha you can also see huge beech, oak and pine forests, striking with a rich animal world, numerous waterfalls and amazingly winding mountains that sharply change their height.
The climate in the region is very mild and warm, so you can plan a trip to Nikortsminda all year round. It is warm in the spring, there is little precipitation, the average temperature in March is 10-14C, in the summer it is comfortable for traveling – 20-25C. In winter, the temperature can drop below zero, more often it is -5-10C.
You can allocate 1 day to visit Nikortsminda, but having arrived here, do not deny yourself the pleasure of traveling around the region, where there are many temples, healing springs and balneological resorts.
How to get to Nikortsminda?
If you are traveling from Kutaisi, you can take a minibus to Ambrolauri. The ticket costs 20 lari ($8). From Ambrolauri, you can get there by taxi (only 15 km) – the trip will cost about 10 lari ($3-4). Minibuses also run from the city, although rarely, the ticket price starts from 5 lari ($2). If you are traveling from Tbilisi, you can take a train to Zestafoni (the journey takes about 2.5 hours), and from there take a minibus to Ambrolauri (about 75 km) – 1.5 hours.
You can get from Tbilisi to Kutaisi by bus – the ticket will cost 30 lari ($12), and then go to Nikortsminda via Ambrolauri. There are minibuses starting from Didube station, they go to Terjola and then to Ambrolauri – the total travel time is about 6 hours. The cost of the trip is from 30 lari (12$).
If you are traveling from Batumi, you can cover part of the way to Kutaisi by minibus (30 GEL, 12$), and then change to a bus to Ambrolauri.
If you do not want to go by public transport, you can rent a car.
Nikortsminda Temple is an amazing structure that amazes and fills the heart with the brightest and kindest emotions. This is the Holy Place of Georgia, which is definitely worth visiting, because it keeps so many mysteries!
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My name is Vitaly Kibitlevsky, I am a tour guide and creator of unique quests in Batumi. If you want to walk around the city with a fascinating storyteller or plunge into an exciting adventure, write to the mail: vitkibit@gmail.com
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