Svetitskhoveli: the robe of Christ and the cedar that grew from it

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

Updated 23 October 2026

Mtskheta is a small town with a very large church. Svetitskhoveli fills its centre the way a cathedral fills a French village — out of all proportion, deliberately. It is the burial place of Georgian kings, the seat of the Georgian church for fifteen centuries, and the site of a story that every Georgian child can tell.

The story

In the first century, so it goes, a Jewish merchant from Mtskheta named Elias was in Jerusalem on the day of the crucifixion. He bought the robe of Christ from a soldier and brought it home. His sister Sidonia took it in her hands, was overcome, and died holding it; the robe could not be prised from her grip, and she was buried with it. From her grave grew a cedar.

Three hundred years later, when Saint Nino brought Christianity to Georgia and King Mirian ordered a church built on the spot, the cedar was cut into seven pillars. Six were raised. The seventh rose into the air by itself and would not come down until Nino prayed all night; then it settled, and from it flowed a sap that healed the sick. Sveti-tskhoveli means “the life-giving pillar”. The cathedral you see was built around the place where it stood.

You do not have to believe this to understand what it did. It gave a small kingdom at the edge of the Roman and Persian worlds a claim to the centre of the Christian story — a relic to rival anything in Constantinople. Georgia has been arguing for its place among the great civilisations ever since, and Svetitskhoveli is the argument in stone.

The building

The church of King Mirian is gone; so is the one that replaced it. The cathedral standing today was finished in 1029, under the architect Arsukisdze, whose name is carved over the north gate with a severed hand beside it — legend says the king had it cut off so that nothing finer could ever be built. It is a cross-domed church of golden sandstone, immense inside, with a drum and cone that dominate the valley. Earthquakes, Timur and the Persians all damaged it; each time it was rebuilt to the same plan.

Inside, the pillar is marked by a stone canopy painted with scenes from the story. Around it, the floor is a map of Georgian history: the graves of Vakhtang Gorgasali, who founded Tbilisi; of Erekle II, the last king of Kartli-Kakheti; of the Bagrationi dynasty that ruled for a thousand years. A copy of the Jerusalem chapel of the Holy Sepulchre stands in one corner. The frescoes are 17th-century, faded, with a zodiac wheel that surprises everyone.

The town and the view

Mtskheta was Georgia’s capital until the 5th century, and it sits where the Aragvi meets the Kura — a strategic junction then, a picture now. Across the river, on a bluff, is Jvari, the 6th-century church built where Nino planted her first cross; from its terrace you look straight down on the cathedral and the confluence, the view that decorates every book about Georgia. The two churches are meant to be seen together: Jvari the cross, Svetitskhoveli the pillar.

See it with GTour

Svetitskhoveli and Jvari are the afternoon of our Tbilisi & Mtskheta essential first day, and the first stop on the road north in the Kazbegi 2-day journey and the Georgia in 7 days grand tour.

This story in Georgian — ქართულად: shenidasveneba.ge

Quick answers

What is Svetitskhoveli and where is it located? Svetitskhoveli is a large cathedral in the small town of Mtskheta, Georgia. It has served as the burial place of Georgian kings and the seat of the Georgian church for fifteen centuries. The current cathedral was completed in 1029.

What does the name Svetitskhoveli mean and where does it come from? Sveti-tskhoveli means the life-giving pillar. According to legend, a cedar grew from the grave of Sidonia, who died holding the robe of Christ, and this cedar was later cut into seven pillars when King Mirian built a church on the site. The seventh pillar miraculously rose into the air and would only settle after Saint Nino prayed all night, then flowed with healing sap.

Who built the current cathedral and what legend surrounds the architect? The cathedral standing today was finished in 1029 under the architect Arsukisdze. His name is carved over the north gate alongside a carving of a severed hand, with legend claiming the king had his hand cut off so that nothing finer could ever be built.

What notable graves and features can be found inside Svetitskhoveli? Inside the cathedral, the site of the pillar is marked by a stone canopy painted with scenes from the Sidonia story. The floor holds the graves of Vakhtang Gorgasali, who founded Tbilisi, Erekle II, the last king of Kartli-Kakheti, and members of the Bagrationi dynasty that ruled for a thousand years. There is also a copy of the Jerusalem chapel of the Holy Sepulchre and faded 17th-century frescoes including a zodiac wheel.

What is Jvari and how does it relate to Svetitskhoveli? Jvari is a 6th-century church built on a bluff across the river from Svetitskhoveli, on the spot where Saint Nino planted her first cross. The two churches are meant to be seen together, with Jvari representing the cross and Svetitskhoveli representing the pillar, and Jvari's terrace offers a view looking down on the cathedral and the river confluence below.

Why was Mtskheta historically important? Mtskheta was the capital of Georgia until the 5th century and sits at the strategic junction where the Aragvi river meets the Kura river. This location made it a key site historically, and today it remains a picturesque spot featuring both Svetitskhoveli and Jvari.

How can visitors see Svetitskhoveli as part of a tour? Svetitskhoveli and Jvari are featured in the afternoon of the Tbilisi and Mtskheta essential first day tour. They also serve as the first stop on the road north in the Kazbegi 2-day journey and in the Georgia in 7 days grand tour.

Photo: w0zny / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0