Nekresi village was established by king Pharnajom (around 2nd-1st centuries BC). In the 4th century AD, king Thrdat built a church in this place. This church became a refuge to one of the Assyrian fathers, Abibus, in the late 6th century. Around this time Diocese of Nekresi was established, which existed until the 19th century.

The small basilica from the second half of the IV century is one of the earliest of the churches in Georgia. The church was recently restored, stone masonry repaired, roof rebuilt, windows put in place.

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Founded: 4th century AD
Category: Religious sites in Georgia

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

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4.9/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Mr. Cool (10 months ago)
Do not come here if you're pressed for time. You can walk up a steep hill for 40 minutes, or wait for 20 minutes for a bus which will then wait for another 20 minutes to go up. Why can't cars drop passenger off? There are so many monasteries in Georgia, why is this the only monastery with this weird shuttle system? Might be worth it with loads of time, but definitely not on a hot, long day.
Kevin Walters (2 years ago)
One of the cooler monastery's we visited in Georgia. Worth a visit here. We were able to drive up the road, but your mileage may vary depending on how busy it is. We were the only people there when we visited, quite nice place to walk around. great views.
Arnold Kolbe (2 years ago)
There is a gate at the entrance stating there are minibuses going up the hill and you can't take your private vehicle. There were no mini buses. So we walked. It's 1.5 km of STEEP road and as we had our 5 year old, after 1km, it was getting too much. We saw at least 3 private vehicles so I went down and drove up after chatting to the sleeping police at the gate. The views are quite spectacular and the old wine cellar is interesting. Worth a visit if you in the area but unless you quite fit, that hill is a heavy climb. Take a car up if you can.
Sophiko Gogochashvili (2 years ago)
Beautiful, stunning view ? ancient place
Chloe L (2 years ago)
The Monastery sits atop a hill with a beautiful view on the surrounding landscape. I highly recommend going for sunset so you can see the sun set over the green fields and experience a ceremony with monks chanting. It's beautiful. You can get some wine made at the Monastery itself, though it's incredibly sweet so not for everyone. The trek up there is pretty steep but I promise you it's worth it!
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