Troglodyte Monastery of Patapa Kvabebi (David Gareja)
The monastery, called Ratara Kvabebi («Little Caves») (Georg. გარეჯის პატარა ქვაბების მონასტერი), is located at the end of the Gareji Desert, on the outskirts of the Vashlovani Reserve. The monastery was carved into a small rock in the region of the left tributary of the Iori River, at a distance of 12 kilometers from the neighboring monastery – Didi kvabebi («Big caves»). The monastery complex includes a domed church, a refectory and small caves for various purposes.
The ceiling of the main domed temple is destroyed. On one of the walls there are traces of painting, in which red color predominates. According to experts, the Mother of God should have been depicted on the wall. Small cells, located one after another, are connected to the main church by a common, rather large tunnel carved into the rock. The monastery is, as it were, an eastern «Outpost», the extreme eastern part, among the numerous monastic complexes of David Gareja. Further, the caves are no longer encountered.
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