Betania

Betania is a cross-domed temple, a monument of Georgian architecture. It was built at the end of the XII-XIII centuries. The monastery is located near village Kveseti, in the western part of Tbilisi, in Didgori district, in the gorge of the river Vere, on its right side. It was the tomb of the Orbelians. One of the famous frescoes of Queen Tamar is preserved in Bethania Cathedral.

History

The monastery consists of two churches. St. George's Small Basilica, built in 1196. The main temple is named after the Virgin Mary and was built in the XII-XIII centuries.

Betania has traditionally been the ancestral tomb of Georgian feudal lords - the Orbelebi. The rediscovery of the temple is connected with Grigol Orbeliani. He accidentally discovered the Betania Monastery while hunting, which had been forgotten for centuries. At the end of the XIX century the temple was restored. Famous Georgian monks Father Giorgi (Mkheidze) and Father Ioane (Maisuradze), who were canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church, worked in the Bethany Monastery in the 19th and 20th centuries.