Troglodyte Monastery of Udabno (David Gareja)
Monastery of Udabno («Desert») (გარეჯის უდაბნოს მონასტერი) is located on a mountain range next to the Lavra of David Garejeli. It was formed as a branch of the Lavra in the 9th-10th centuries. The southeastern part of the main rock church in the name of the Mother of God was completely destroyed and fragments of frescoes were found in the ruins. The two-line inscription «Asomtavruli» tells us that the wall painting was made in 983. On the north wall, the laity and the clergy are depicted in two groups.
Next to the main temple is a refectory, where two rows of stone tables are carved into the rock. Large jugs are stored in the basement near the refectory. Among other monuments of the complex, it is worth noting the churches of the Virgin Mary, St. George and St. Nicholas. Their painting dates back to the 12th-13th centuries. The Church of the Resurrection stands at the highest point of the complex. To the west of the monastery is the «Tsamebuli» church carved into the rock. where the bones of the monks killed by the Persians were preserved.
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