Modinakhe

Modinakhe - A late medieval fortress in the Imereti region, one kilometer north of Sachkhere, at 700 meters above from the sea level. It was built in the 30s of the XVIII century by Papuna Tsereteli.

Modinakhe is also a famous archaeological monument. The settlements of three epochs have been found here: the settlements of the Early Bronze Age, the Late Bronze Age - the Early Iron Age and the Early Antiquity period. The cemeteries of different times are also discovered. Agriculture product, bronze weapons and jewelry are found out during archaeological excavations. Many gold and silver items (jewelry, dishware, weapons) Roman coins were found in the tombs of earlier antiquity.

Modinakhe fortress was included in a national importance category on May 11, 2018. The architectural complex had a restoration in 2019.

Architecture

The fortress stood on the high ridge of a limestone. There were two roads to reach it on the slope. The castle had two long walls one of them was locked with a high tower. The end of the second wall, there were two towers. The house, a chapel, and a prison were standing in the center. Many Qvevri(Georgian clay jar for making wine) were buried in the yard.

History

According to the legend, Papuna Tsereteli was refused by his father-in-law (Davit Abashidze) to give him his daughter as a wife. The reason he said, Papuna did not have any fortress. After that, Papuna Tsereteli built a fortress and said to his father-in-law: "Come and see." That’s why it is called “Modi nakhe”( In Georgian it means come and see).

The fortress belonged to the feudal families of Palavandishvilis and Sachkherian Tsereteli in different times. In 1735, Papuna Tsereteli, a great feudal lord of Imereti, found a shelter in Modinakhe fortress and organized a rebellion against the king. King Alexander V of Imereti has tried several times to capture the fortress, but he couldn’t.

In 1766, during the Ottoman invasion in Imereti, King Solomon I. escaped to Modinakhe fortress. During the Imereti rebellion (1810), the Modinakhe Fortress was occupied by rebels. In March of the same year, units of the Russian army captured and put their garrison there. Later, the Modinakhe Fortress lost its strategic importance.

It was always very difficult to conquer the fortress, because it is quite far from the settlement and it is located on a steep slope. Modinakhe only fell into the hands of the enemy (Russians) only once, when the commander of the garrison was a woman. The guards of the fortress were out of food and there was a traitor among the inhabitants of the fortress.

In the 1830s, the castle was almost destroyed. Only part of the walls and seven towers survived. The fortress was quite damaged in 1991 by earthquake, that’s why today the traces of the towers are lost and the walls are damaged. Despite of this condition, Modinakhe make a great impression on visitors. The fortress offers a beautiful view of the Kvirili River valley, as well as the mountains of Imereti and Racha regions.