Troglodyte Monastery of Shavi Senakebi (David Gareja)
The monastery, called Shavi Senakebi (Black caves)(Georg. გარეჯის შავი სენაკების მონასტერი) is part of the David Gareja monastery complex and is located near the neighboring monastery – Tetri Senakebi (White caves). The religious and historical monument dates back to the 9th-13th centuries. On the sun-drenched ridge, the facades of the two-tier boilers go so deep into the plane of the slope that they fall into the shadow of the ridge. That’s why they called him Shavi Senakebi (Black caves).
The monument is badly damaged, only a few caves remain. Particularly interesting is the chapel, on the plastered walls of which numerous graphic paintings were found. They depict scenes of hunting desert animals. Shavi Senakebi Monastery must have been closely connected with the Tetri Senakebi Monastery, since there is no church in it, and presumably, the monks used the church of the neighboring monastery. Shavi Senakebi caves can only be entered with the help of auxiliary equipment.
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