Troglodyte Monastery of Bertubani (David Gareja)
Bertubani Monastery (Georg. ბერთუბნის მონასტერი), one of the monasteries of the David Gareja cave monastic complexes, was first mentioned in historical sources in the 6th century. Bertubani – also called the village next to the monastery, which was the patriarchal estate. The monastery, founded by David Garejeli and his disciples, is a complex of two-story caves carved into the rock. On the ground floor there is a reservoir, cells of monks and a tomb. The monastery center is located on the second floor, which consists of a church, a refectory and a group of cult caves.
Carved into the rock, the main church of Bertubani impresses the visitor. The Church of the Holy Mother of God is a hall-type building. The sanctuary is separated from the hall by an iconostasis. The eastern part of the church is painted with religious compositions from the 13th century. Frescoes of Georgian kings, Queen Tamara and Lasha-Giorgi deserve special attention. Today Bertubani Monastery is located in the disputed territory of Azerbaijan and Georgia. The Azerbaijani side, for unknown reasons, declares it a monument of Albanian culture and tries to appropriate the ancient Georgian monastery.
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