The cave settlement of Vardzia was hollowed out in the 12th century in the tuff mountain Erusheti, which rises above the Kura River. Despite its remoteness from the main cities of Georgia, the caves and the monastery of Vardzia are one of the most interesting sights of Georgia, so many tourists come here every day.
The cave settlement of Vardzia began to be created in the mountains of Samtskhe-Javakheti in 1156, during the reign of Tsar George III. The work continued until 1203 during the reign of his daughter Queen Tamara. This underground city is an outstanding monument of Georgian medieval defensive architecture. The period from the beginning of the reign of King David IV the Builder from 1089 to the end of the reign of his great-granddaughter Queen Tamara in 1209 is called the Golden Age of Georgia.
After the victory in the Battle of Didgori, King David was able to free Georgia from vassalage from the Turks, but the country was constantly being raided by enemies, so the construction of a large cave city where tens of thousands of soldiers could live in safety was very important at that moment.
In total, about 600 caves were hollowed out in the Cave settlement of Vardzia. In length, the caves of the city were located at a distance of 900 meters, and the height in some places reached 8 floors. During the heyday, up to 20 thousand residents could live here. The city was securely hidden by rocks. Vardzia was connected with the outside world through three underground passages. Thanks to this, a powerful Georgian army could appear unexpectedly in front of the enemy at any moment. In those years, an important route of the Silk Road passed along the riverbed. The enemy`s armies were also moving along it.
During the powerful earthquake of 1283, a significant part of the cave city of Vardzia was destroyed. After the collapse of a part of the rock, many caves became visible from the opposite bank of the Kura. Vardzia has lost its military significance, although people have lived there for more than two centuries.
In 1184, by order of Queen Tamara, the Monastery of the Assumption of the Virgin was founded in the central part of Vardzia. Now it is the main attraction of the Underground settlement of Vardzia. Unique frescoes of the 13th century have been preserved in the main temple of the monastery. Their good preservation is connected with the attack of the Turks on the monastery in 1587. They took everything of value, and the rest was simply burned in the main temple. The smoke from the fire heavily blackened the frescoes, and they were preserved for several centuries.
The monastery in the Vardzia caves was restored only in 1857, when Georgia was already part of the Russian Empire. In Soviet times, the Assumption Monastery was abolished, but in 1989 monks settled here again and services began to be held. At the entrance to the monastery, tourists in shorts are asked to respect monks and put on cloaks that lie at the entrance.
The closest to the cave settlement of Vardzia is the balneological resort of Borjomi. The distance between them is 110 kilometers. The road goes along the bed of the Kura River. Along the way, you can visit medieval fortresses that were built to control the important route of the Silk Road. The largest of them are Atskuri Fortress and Khertvisi Fortress.
The distance from Tbilisi to Vardzia via Gori reaches 270 kilometers along the autobahn. This is the best route. The cave settlement of Uplitsikhe is located in Gori – this is another famous cave city in Georgia. Alternatively, you can go directly through the mountains, but there is a road of such poor quality that, despite the shorter distance (240 km), the travel time will be significantly longer. The distance from Kutaisi to Vardzia is 190 kilometers.
