Last week I was able to visit the Shiomgvime Monastery near Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia. This ancient complex was founded in the 6th century by St. Shio and once was home to 2,000 monks. You can see small limestone caves in the cliff face through the trees. These caves were previously inhabited by hermit monks. Over the centuries, this monastery was destroyed by the Persians and Ottomans, and was closed under the Communists. Today it has been reopened and is now again a functioning monastery.
Text and photo ©️Todd Durell 2018. All rights reserved.