Gelati Monastery (Region of Imereti)
Gelati Monastery Complex (Georgian: გელათის მონასტერი) – One of the most important centers of medieval Georgian culture was founded by King David IV Agmashenebeli (the Builder) (Georgian: დავით IV აღმაშენებელი). The Gelati Monastery has preserved a great number of wall paintings dating back to the 12th-18th centuries. And therefore, the most wonderful thing about the architecture of the Gelati complex is its frescoes and mosaics. The Gelati Monastery Complex also includes the Gelati Academy, the main educational center of medieval Georgia. Contemporaries compared it to the Jerusalem and Athens Academies. The rector of the Gelati Academy had a high status at court and was almost equal in importance to the Catholicos-Patriarch.
The Gelati complex includes several buildings. The main temple of the monastery, the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, is characterized by a massive dome and rich architectural elements. Gelati was a royal monastery and tomb of kings, where almost all representatives of royal dynasties of united Georgia are buried. The Gelati monastery was granted full autonomy, recognizing only the supreme right of the king. The abbots of the monastery were considered members of the royal council. The territory of the monastery was enclosed by a fortress wall. At the south side of the wall, in the main gate, there is a tombstone of David Agmashenebeli. Unique samples of Georgian jewelry and manuscripts were kept in the monastery. Gelati Monastery had a unique cellar and great experience in wine production. The Gelati Monastery complex is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Gelati village (Georgian: სოფელი გელათი), Kutaisi Municipality (Georgian: ქუთაისის მუნიციპალიტეტი)