Monastery of Balvana (Region of Shavsheti)
Monastery of Balvana (Georg. ბალვანას მონასტერი, Tur. Balvana (sulesi) manastiri) is located in the historical area of Georgia – Shavheti (Georg. შავშეთი), east of the historical village of Balvana (Georg. ბალვანა), modern kirazli (Tur. Kirazlı), on the right bank the Oshoretistskali River (Georg. ოშორეთისწყალი). You can get to the remains of the monastery, which is almost completely destroyed, along a narrow path. One part of the buildings of the once powerful monastery complex is located at the foot of the cliff, and the other part is built right on the rock. The complex includes a church with an annex on the north side of the church, a tomb for monarchs, a wine cellar with a small press and jugs. Built on a rock, a large multi-storey building probably served as a refectory for the monks, although it may have had another purpose at the same time.
The main temple is a single-nave building and is currently in a dilapidated state. The facades of the temple are decorated with a circular ornament, which should indicate the era of the construction of the complex, in particular, the second half of the X century. In the upper part of the rock, traces of stairs carved into the rock are visible. Probably, part of the buildings of the complex should be located higher. According to the stories of local residents, in the upper, inaccessible part of the rock, there are caves located on two tiers, which were also part of the monastery. The old name of the monastery is unknown. It is believed that the monastery, which is called the Balvana monastery today, can be a Tba monastery (Georg. ტბა) mentioned in the manuscript under the title «The Life of Grigol Khanzteli» (Georg. «გრიგოლ ხანძთელის ცხოვრება»)
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