Rkoni Monastery (Region of Kartli)
Rkoni Monastery (Georgian: რკონის მონასტერი). The monastery dates back to approximately the 7th century, which is the date of construction of the main temple. Up until the 18th century, a bell tower and two churches were added to the monastery. Due to its location in the gorge, the monastery served as a refuge for locals. During raids, people left their homes and went to the monastery. In the 12th-13th centuries, a significant trade and military-strategic route ran along Rkoni, connecting Shida Kartli with Javakheti and Trialeti, and then, through Armenia, with the Middle East. This factor contributed to the construction of monasteries in Rkoni and its environs.
Today the monastery is not active. The temple itself is well preserved, but other buildings on its territory were destroyed. Not far from the monastery, in the gorge, there is a bridge built during the time of Queen Tamara. The bridge over the Tadzami River leads to the monastery. It dates back to the 12th-13th centuries. The semicircular bridge is a single piece and is 12.5 m long and 2.2 m wide. The bridge supports are leaning on natural rocky foundations and are built from pieces of stone on lime mortar. It has been preserved in its original form. One of the most inaccessible monasteries, and a narrow path leads directly to it, which can only be walked on foot. Another attraction of the area is the Rkonskaya fortress, which rises high above the gorge.
Chachubeti village (Georgian: სოფელი ჩაჩუბეთი), Kaspi Municipality (Georgian: კასპის მუნიციპალიტეტი )