Jvari Monastery

Jvari is a 7th-century monastery and church on a mountain above the confluence of the Kura and Aragvi rivers near Mtskheta. Its name means cross, and tradition says Saint Nino raised Georgia's first Christian cross here. The tetraconch church, crowned by a dome on an octagonal drum, became a model for later architecture across the South Caucasus. Ornaments and reliefs on the walls depict patrons who supported its construction and restoration. The terrace offers broad views of the Caucasus, river valleys, and old Mtskheta. Jvari remains an active monastery and celebrates the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 27. Since 1994, it has formed part of the UNESCO-listed Historical Monuments of Mtskheta.

A legend says a suspended ladder once stretched between Jvari and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. Only pilgrims pure in heart could cross it safely; those without sincere repentance fell into the rivers below. Fewer people succeeded as time passed, until the ladder finally collapsed under the weight of human sin.