Ateni Sioni: the frescoes nobody visits

By Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze, MD, MPH, PhD · 15/09/2026

Updated 17 October 2026

The Tana valley runs south from Gori into the hills, narrow, green, terraced with vines that produce a sparkling wine of local fame. Ten kilometres up it, on a spur above the river, stands a church that looks like a smaller Jvari — a tetraconch of the early 7th century, built within a generation of the original at Mtskheta by masons who knew it — and inside that church is one of the most complete and beautiful cycles of medieval painting in Georgia. It is called Ateni Sioni, and the road passes it without a sign.

The building

The church dates from the 630s, the last flowering of Georgian architecture before the Arab conquest closed it down for two centuries. Its plan is Jvari’s — four apses around a dome — and its exterior carvings are among the best of the period: a stag hunt, a figure on horseback, a Georgian inscription in the ancient asomtavruli script on the south wall, another in Armenian, and graffiti scratched by pilgrims over a thousand years. The stone is a soft grey-gold that takes the afternoon light.

The frescoes

They were painted in 1080, under King Giorgi II, and they cover the interior from floor to dome: a Nativity with a midwife bathing the child, an Annunciation, a Visitation with the two women embracing in a way no Byzantine painter would have allowed, a Dormition, a Last Judgement, the four Evangelists in the pendentives, and, on the west wall, a row of donor portraits — Georgian kings and princes in their court dress, with names. The style is Georgian at the moment it stops copying Constantinople: the faces are softer, the colours warmer, the compositions more human. The Visitation, in the north apse, is the image people come for; the whole cycle is why they stay.

The frescoes survived because the church was too remote to matter, and because the gorge’s damp did less damage than the sun would have. They were cleaned and consolidated in the 1970s and again in this century. They are unlit; bring a torch, or wait for your eyes.

Visiting

The church is usually locked; the keeper lives in the village and comes when called, and a guide who knows him is worth a great deal. There is no entrance fee, no shop and no café — the vineyard across the road sells wine, and the village of Ateni has a restaurant of sorts. Twenty minutes inside is a revelation; an hour is a pilgrimage. The gorge above the church is good walking, and the Ateni sparkling wine, made from the Chinuri grape, is the right thing to drink afterwards.

See it with GTour

Ateni Sioni is the optional afternoon of the Gori & Uplistsikhe day trip; ask for it when booking and the guide arranges the key.

This story in Georgian — ქართულად: shenidasveneba.ge

Quick answers

Where is Ateni Sioni located? Ateni Sioni stands on a spur above the river in the Tana valley, about ten kilometres south of Gori, Georgia. The valley is narrow and green, terraced with vineyards famous for sparkling wine.

When was the church of Ateni Sioni built? Ateni Sioni was built in the 630s, during the last flowering of Georgian architecture before the Arab conquest halted such building for two centuries. It follows the same tetraconch plan as Jvari Monastery near Mtskheta, built within a generation of the original by masons who knew it.

What makes the exterior of the church notable? The exterior features some of the finest carvings of the period, including a stag hunt and a mounted horseman. It also bears a Georgian inscription in the ancient asomtavruli script, an Armenian inscription, and centuries of pilgrim graffiti.

When were the frescoes inside Ateni Sioni painted, and what do they depict? The frescoes were painted in 1080 under King Giorgi II and cover the interior from floor to dome. Scenes include the Nativity, Annunciation, Visitation, Dormition, Last Judgement, the four Evangelists, and donor portraits of named Georgian kings and princes.

Why have the frescoes at Ateni Sioni survived so well? They survived because the church was too remote to attract destruction, and the gorge's damp climate caused less damage than direct sun exposure would have. They were later cleaned and consolidated in the 1970s and again in the 21st century.

What should visitors know before going to Ateni Sioni? The church is usually locked, and the keeper, who lives in the village, must be called to open it; a guide who knows him is very helpful. There is no entrance fee, shop, or café, though the vineyard across the road sells wine and the village of Ateni has a restaurant of sorts. The interior frescoes are unlit, so visitors should bring a torch or let their eyes adjust.

How can travelers include Ateni Sioni in a tour? GTour offers Ateni Sioni as an optional afternoon addition to its Gori and Uplistsikhe day trip. Travelers should request it when booking, and the guide will arrange for the key with the local keeper.