Date:

Vanis Kvabebi

Vanis Kvabebi (also called the Vani Caves) is an ancient cave monastery, located in the Vardzia Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of the Lesser Caucasus in present-day Georgia.

The monastery is carved into the volcanic steep slopes of the Mtkvari River gorge in a V‐shaped ravine, bounded by subvertical cliffs up to 200 metres in height.

- Advertisement -

Occupation of the site dates from the 8th century AD, with up to 200 rock-cut caves over 19 levels, that over the centuries has resulted in a maze of honeycomb tunnels, cells, anterooms, storage chambers and churches.

The monastery complex was damaged in 1080 by a major earthquake in the region, but a local patron by the name of Ichkit Gurgenisdze (who is also attributed with the construction of Tsunda church near Tmogvi fortress) conducted a series of restoration works.

shutterstock 1660704376
Image Credit : Brester Irina

In 1204, the Mtsignobartukhutsesi-Chkondideli (the head of notaries) commissioned a limestone barrier to the monastery that forms an enclosed inner courtyard and two places of worship, one chapel near the top of the barrier and a small domed church that clings to the rock in the highest level of tunnels.

Around this time the monastery came under the supervision of the sovereigns of Javakheti – the Tmogveli, who established a set of rules called the ‘Vani Cave Providence’.

- Advertisement -

By 1283, another earthquake struck the region causing further damage, but it was an assault by the Ottomans in 1576 that resulted in the monastery being completely abandoned.

Header Image Credit : Alex Marakhovets

- Advertisement -

Stay Updated: Follow us on iOS, Android, Google News, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, TikTok, LinkedIn, and our newsletter

spot_img
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan is multi-award-winning journalist and the Managing Editor at HeritageDaily. His background is in archaeology and computer science, having written over 8,000 articles across several online publications. Mark is a member of the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW), the World Federation of Science Journalists, and in 2023 was the recipient of the British Citizen Award for Education, the BCA Medal of Honour, and the UK Prime Minister's Points of Light Award.
spot_img
spot_img
spot_img

Mobile Application

spot_img

Related Articles

Caral burial unearthed at Áspero: Elite woman found remarkably preserved

Archaeologists from the Caral Archaeological Zone (ZAC), led by Dr. Ruth Shady Solís from the Ministry of Culture, have discovered a well-preserved burial at the Áspero archaeological site in Barranca Province, Peru.

Mesolithic figurine found in Damjili Cave offers new clues to Neolithic transition

A stone figurine discovered in Damjili Cave, western Azerbaijan, is providing archaeologists with new insights into the cultural and symbolic transition from the Mesolithic to Neolithic in the South Caucasus.

Bite marks confirm gladiators fought lions at York

A recent study published in PLOS One has identified bite marks on human remains excavated from Driffield Terrace, a Roman cemetery on the outskirts of York, England.

Treasures of the Alanian culture found in Alkhan-Kala necropolis

Archaeologists have discovered an intact burial mound containing the tomb of an Alanian elite during excavations at Alkhan-Kala west of Grozny, Chechnya.

Significant archaeological discoveries near Inverness

Archaeologists have made several major discoveries at the site of the upcoming Old Petty Championship Golf Course at Cabot Highlands, near Inverness, Scotland.

Maya ritual offering found in Yucatán caves

Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have recovered a globular ceramic pot in Zumpango Cave, part of the extensive Garra de Jaguar system.

Archaeologists find UAE’s first major Iron Age necropolis

The Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi has announced the discovery of the first major Iron Age necropolis in the United Arab Emirates.

Ramses III inscription discovered in Jordan’s Wadi Rum

Jordan’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has announced the discovery of an inscription bearing the seal of Ramses III in the Wadi Rum Reserve, Jordan.