Mtskheta city
The most ancient city of Georgia
Height: 460 m.
Date of foundation: 5th century BC.
Area: 6785 km²
Population: 7.9 thousand.
Mtskheta is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was founded in the second half of the 1st millennium BC.
According to legend, the city was founded byMtskhetos,the son of the forefather of the GeorgiansKartlos. Later, after the adoption of Christianity, it became the capital of the country. According to tradition, Nune (Nino), one of the virgins of Hripsime, who miraculously escaped the martyrdom of the virgins, fled to Mtskheta and preached Christianity here. She treated the sick child of King Mirian and then Queen Nana. In the 4th century. King Mirian built the first wooden church on the advice of Nune, and in the 5th century. Vakhtang I Gorgasal built the Basilica church. The main temple, Svetitskhoveli, was built in place of the damaged basilica at the beginning of the 11th century. Another church, the monastery complex Samtavro, was also built by King Mirian, but acquired its modern appearance during the reign of George I (11th century).
Mtskheta is located just 20 km from Tbilisi, at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers. Nearby is one of the oldest monasteries in the country,Jvari(6th century), Shio Mgvimi Monastery.
