Christian Georgia — pilgrimages, monasteries and sacred heritage

Georgia adopted Christianity as the religion of the kingdom in 337, among the first countries in the world to do so, after the preaching of a Cappadocian woman the Georgians call St Nino. Seventeen centuries later the cathedral at Mtskheta still stands over the place where, by tradition, the Robe of Christ was buried; the convent at Bodbe keeps St Nino’s tomb; the monasteries founded by the Thirteen Assyrian Fathers in the sixth century are still inhabited; and the liturgy is sung in a three-voice polyphony that UNESCO lists as intangible heritage. This page is G Tour’s guide to that heritage for pilgrims, parishes and curious travellers, with the sites, the feasts, the rules of the house, and the three journeys we run.

Three ways to travel Christian Georgia

St Nino’s Way — Mtskheta, Sioni and Bodbe in a day (private, from €170 per person)
Monasteries of Georgia — the Thirteen Fathers, Davit Gareji and Kakheti in 3 days (private, from €640 per person)
Christian Georgia — pilgrimage and sacred heritage in 8 days (private from €1,590 per person; parish and church groups quoted per group, with the accompanying priest free from 20 pilgrims)

Ask for a programme for your group WhatsApp +995 577 41 63 14

Why Georgia is a pilgrimage country

UNESCO’s description of the historical monuments of Mtskheta records that “Christianity was proclaimed the official religion of Georgia in 337” and that Mtskheta “remains the headquarters of the Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church” (UNESCO World Heritage Centre). The Georgian Church itself also uses the date 326; both are earlier than the Edict of Thessalonica that made Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire in 380. The conversion is credited to St Nino, whose deeds, in UNESCO’s words, are “documented by Georgian, Armenian, Greek and Roman historians”. The three Georgian scripts, developed to write Scripture and liturgy from the fifth century, are themselves on UNESCO’s list of intangible heritage (UNESCO).

In 2026 the Church began a new chapter: Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, who had led it since 1977, died on 17 March 2026, and Shio III was enthroned at Svetitskhoveli on 12 May 2026 (Vatican News). Pope Francis visited Tbilisi and Mtskheta on 30 September–1 October 2016 (programme, vatican.va); the Catholic Church in Georgia is led by the Apostolic Administration of the Caucasus, with Mass in English, Latin and Georgian in Tbilisi and parishes in Kutaisi, Akhaltsikhe and the villages of Meskheti.

The sacred map

Place	What it is	From Tbilisi
Mtskheta — Svetitskhoveli, Samtavro, Jvari	The old capital and seat of the Church: the 11th-century cathedral over the Robe of Christ and the Living Pillar, the convent where St Nino lived, and the 6th-century Jvari church on the hill. UNESCO World Heritage.	25 min
Tbilisi — Sioni, Anchiskhati, Metekhi, Sameba	Sioni holds St Nino’s grapevine cross and, since March 2026, the tomb of Ilia II; Anchiskhati is the oldest church of the city (6th century); Sameba, consecrated in 2004, is the patriarchal cathedral.	—
Bodbe	The convent built over St Nino’s tomb by King Mirian; the healing spring below (georgia.travel).	2 h
Davit Gareji	Cave monasteries of the 6th century in the semi-desert on the Azerbaijani border; the Lavra is open, the upper Udabno caves are closed by border guards (2025–2026).	1 h 45
Shio-Mgvime and Zedazeni	Two of the monasteries of the Thirteen Assyrian Fathers, commemorated by the Church on 7 May (Patriarchate of Georgia).	40 min
Alaverdi, Ikalto, Nekresi	The 11th-century cathedral of St George (over 40 m), the academy of Ikalto and one of the earliest churches of Georgia, all around Telavi; Alaverdoba is kept on 27 September (georgia.travel).	2 h
Gergeti Trinity	The 14th-century church at 2,170 m under Mount Kazbek, reached by 4×4 from Stepantsminda.	3 h
Gelati and Motsameta	Gelati, founded in 1106 by David the Builder, academy and royal burial church, UNESCO World Heritage; conservation works on the roofs and murals are continuing (UNESCO state of conservation).	3 h 30
Vardzia and Sapara	The 12th–13th-century cave monastery of Queen Tamar, still inhabited by monks; part of the complex is closed for repairs after a rockfall in spring 2026. Sapara monastery nearby.	4 h
The Catholic villages of Meskheti	Khizabavra, Arali, Vale and Ude, Latin-rite villages around Akhaltsikhe, with the Benedictine sisters in the town: the natural place for a Catholic group’s Mass in the south.	3 h 30

Every place above has its own page on gtour.ge with travel times, where to stay and the hotels we have verified; the deeper Orthodox route adds Timotesubani, Kintsvisi, Ubisa, Martvili, the Katskhi Pillar and the Assyrian Fathers’ monastery at Kanda.

Feast days worth travelling for

The Georgian Church keeps the Julian calendar, so its fixed feasts fall thirteen days after the Western date and its Easter is usually later: 2 May 2027 against 28 March in the West.

Date	Feast	Where
7 January	Christmas; the Alilo procession in Tbilisi	Sameba, Sioni
27 January	Ninooba — repose of St Nino; her cross shown openly	Sioni, Bodbe
7 May	The Thirteen Assyrian Fathers	Zedazeni, Shio-Mgvime, Davit Gareji
1 June	Ninooba — arrival of St Nino in Georgia	Sioni, Bodbe
13 July	Svetitskhovloba (synaxis of the Twelve Apostles)	Mtskheta
28 August	Mariamoba — Dormition	everywhere
27 September	Alaverdoba	Alaverdi
14 October	Svetitskhovloba — public holiday; the great pilgrimage to Mtskheta	Mtskheta
23 November	Giorgoba — St George, public holiday	everywhere

See the events calendar for this year’s dates and the public holidays.

For parishes and church groups from France, Germany, Italy and Poland

Most Catholic pilgrimages from Western Europe treat Georgia as a two-day addition to Armenia. We run the opposite: a Georgia programme built around a daily Mass and an Orthodox encounter. What we provide to a parish, a diocesan pilgrimage service or a licensed operator in your country:

a day-by-day programme with a named Mass venue for every day, confirmed in writing with the parishes: the Cathedral of the Assumption (Gia Abesadze St) and Sts Peter and Paul (Javakhishvili St) in Tbilisi, the Catholic communities of Kutaisi and Akhaltsikhe, the villages of Meskheti, and open-air celebrations at Gergeti or Bodbe by permission;
one Sunday Liturgy at Svetitskhoveli or Sameba, and a meeting with the nuns of Bodbe or Samtavro;
hotels named by city, full board from the first dinner to the last breakfast, audio headsets, a prayer booklet in your language, headscarves;
a per-person price grid by group size (20–25, 26–30, 31–40), the accompanying priest free from 20 paying pilgrims, single rooms limited to 10% of the group;
guides speaking French, German, Italian, Polish or English, licensed in Georgia;
for Protestant groups: the Lutheran Church of Reconciliation in Tbilisi (Sanapiro St), the Baptist Peace Cathedral and the Swabian villages of Asureti and Bolnisi;
for Orthodox parishes: Liturgies at the monasteries, the deeper route (Sapara, Zarzma, Ubisa, Katskhi, Kanda), and dates on the feasts.

G Tour is the Georgian ground operator, a brand of Sheni LLC (company facts, policies). In France a multi-day pilgrimage is sold through the diocesan pilgrimage service or an operator registered with Atout France; in Germany through an operator with insolvency cover. We work with both and can introduce you to partners already running groups with us. Lead time: nine to twelve months for a parish group.

A note you can forward to your parish priest

Georgia became Christian in 337, three generations before Rome. Its old capital Mtskheta keeps, by tradition, the Robe of Christ; the convent of Bodbe keeps the tomb of St Nino, who converted the country; monasteries founded in the sixth century are still inhabited. Pope Francis prayed there in 2016; a new Patriarch, Shio III, was enthroned in May 2026. G Tour in Tbilisi proposes an eight-day pilgrimage for our parish (25–40 pilgrims, May or late September), with a Mass venue arranged for every day, a Sunday Liturgy with the Georgian chant, named hotels and full board, a licensed guide in our language, and the priest’s place free from twenty pilgrims. A draft programme and a price grid come within seven days of a call: info@castle.ge, WhatsApp +995 577 41 63 14.

Versions in French (Géorgie, terre de sainte Nino et de la Tunique du Christ — pèlerinage aux sources du christianisme) and German (Georgien — Pilger- und Begegnungsreise ins Land der heiligen Nino) are sent on request, together with the programme.

The rules of the house

Dress: long trousers for men, covered shoulders and knees and a headscarf for women in every church; wrap skirts and scarves are lent at the door of most monasteries and carried in our cars.
Photography: in the grounds yes, inside the churches no; never of monks, nuns or worshippers without consent; no drones.
During services: stand, keep silence, do not cross in front of the iconostasis; candles are bought at the kiosk.
Hours and fees: churches and monasteries are open roughly 08:00–20:00 and free; Vardzia, Uplistsikhe and the museums are ticketed.
Fasting food: in Lent and Advent most restaurants mark samarkhvo dishes (lobio, pkhali, mushroom khinkali, lobiani), which suits fasting pilgrims and vegetarians alike; see our vegetarian guide.
Site notices 2026: part of Vardzia is closed after a rockfall (Georgia Today, 15 September 2026); the upper caves of Davit Gareji are closed by border guards; Gelati is under conservation works. We check before every departure and the road status page shows the passes.

Sources

Ask the desk

For a parish programme, an Orthodox route or a private day: info@castle.ge · WhatsApp +995 577 41 63 14. See also visa and entry rules, the best time to visit and our guides by nationality.