Bodbe: the woman who converted a kingdom

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

Updated 17 October 2026

Georgia became Christian before Rome did, and it did so because of one woman. Her convent at Bodbe, on a wooded slope with the whole of the Alazani valley and the Caucasus beyond it, is where every Georgian comes at least once, and where the story of the country’s faith begins.

Who she was

Nino came from Cappadocia, in what is now central Turkey, around the year 320. She was young, she was alone, and she walked. The chronicle says she entered Georgia from the south, lived for a time in Mtskheta, the royal capital, and there began to heal and to preach. She bound two vine branches together with strands of her own hair to make a cross — the drooping-armed cross that is still Georgia’s own — and carried it with her.

The king, Mirian III, was hostile. Then, out hunting, he was caught in darkness at noon — an eclipse, the historians say — and in his terror called on Nino’s God. The light returned. In 337 he and his queen Nana were baptised, the kingdom followed, and Georgia became the second nation on earth, after Armenia, to adopt Christianity as its state religion. Nino spent her last years in Kakheti, in the village of Bodbe, and died there. Mirian built a church over her grave.

What is there now

The convent has been rebuilt many times; the present church is a modest 9th-century basilica, restored, with a 19th-century bell tower and a newer, larger cathedral beside it. Nino’s tomb is in the small church, under a canopy on the right of the altar, and there is almost always someone kneeling there. The nuns keep gardens of roses and cypresses that are among the most peaceful places in Kakheti, and the terrace looks across forty kilometres of vineyards to the snow line.

Below the convent, a steep path of about 800 steps leads down through the woods to Saint Nino’s spring, a bathhouse where pilgrims immerse themselves in cold water said to have appeared at the saint’s prayer. Going down takes fifteen minutes; coming up, considerably longer. There is a road for those who prefer it.

How to visit

Modest dress is required — skirts and headscarves are provided for women at the gate, and men should not wear shorts. Photography is fine in the grounds, discouraged inside. Mornings are quiet; Sundays and the feast of Saint Nino, 27 January and 1 June, are not. Bodbe pairs naturally with Sighnaghi, two kilometres away, and with a winery below in the valley.

See it with GTour

Bodbe opens the Sighnaghi & Bodbe day trip and the Kakheti wine country day; it is the third morning of the Grand Wine & Heritage tour.

This story in Georgian — ქართულად: shenidasveneba.ge

Quick answers

Who was Saint Nino? Saint Nino was a young woman from Cappadocia, in what is now central Turkey, who arrived in Georgia around the year 320. She traveled to Mtskheta, the royal capital, where she began healing and preaching Christianity, carrying a cross made from two vine branches bound together with her own hair.

How did Georgia become a Christian kingdom? King Mirian III was initially hostile to Nino's faith, but after being caught in sudden darkness (an eclipse) while hunting, he called on Nino's God in terror and the light returned. In 337 he and his queen Nana were baptised, and Georgia became the second nation on earth, after Armenia, to adopt Christianity as its state religion.

Where is Bodbe and why is it significant? Bodbe is a convent in Kakheti, on a wooded slope overlooking the Alazani valley and the Caucasus mountains. It is significant because Saint Nino spent her last years there, died in the village, and King Mirian built a church over her grave, making it a place every Georgian is expected to visit at least once.

What can visitors see at the convent today? The convent features a modest 9th-century basilica church with a 19th-century bell tower, alongside a newer, larger cathedral. Saint Nino's tomb lies in the small church under a canopy to the right of the altar, surrounded by peaceful gardens of roses and cypresses with views across vineyards to the snow line.

What is Saint Nino's spring and how do you reach it? Saint Nino's spring is a bathhouse below the convent where pilgrims immerse themselves in cold water said to have appeared at the saint's prayer. It is reached via a steep path of about 800 steps through the woods, taking roughly fifteen minutes to descend, though a road is also available for those who prefer it.

What should visitors know before going to Bodbe? Modest dress is required, with skirts and headscarves provided for women at the gate, and men should avoid wearing shorts. Photography is permitted in the grounds but discouraged inside the church, and mornings are quieter than Sundays or the feast days of Saint Nino on 27 January and 1 June.

What nearby attractions pair well with a visit to Bodbe? Bodbe is located just two kilometers from Sighnaghi and is close to a winery in the valley below, making it easy to combine with other Kakheti attractions. It serves as the starting point for the Sighnaghi & Bodbe day trip and features in the Kakheti wine country day and the Grand Wine & Heritage tour.