Troglodyte Monastery of Sabereebi (David Gareja)
Sabereebi monastery (Georg. გარეჯის საბერეების მონასტერი) is located in the northeastern part of the Gareja desert, northwest of the Berta Seri monastery. It is also called the Mgvime Cave Monastery of Gareja (Georg. გარეჯის მღვიმის მონასტერი). The complex includes 9 churches carved from dense sandstone, a refectory and caves for various purposes, located in one tier. Most of them are almost completely destroyed, some are completely covered with earth.
Three of the churches are domed, the rest are halls, four of them have preserved interesting examples of wall paintings that date back to the 9th-10th centuries. Iconographic signs make it clear that the painting school of Gareja at the stage of its formation had a certain proximity to important artistic centers of the Eastern Christian world. The frescoes of Sabereebi are one of the oldest examples of monumental painting in Georgia and belong to the first stage of the formation of both the Gareja and Georgian schools of painting. As a result of archaeological excavations in the vicinity of Sabereebi, a settlement was discovered, which also dates back to the 9th-10th centuries.
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