Translated from Georgian, Tsminda Sameba Cathedral means the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. This name is quite common among the temples of the Georgian Orthodox Church. For example, in the Daryal Gorge, the Tsminda Sameba Gergetis temple has been preserved since the 14th century, which is located on a mountain at the foot of Mount Kazbek.
Tsminda Sameba Cathedral in Tbilisi was built recently. Its construction began in 1995, and the church was consecrated in 2004. Tsminda Sameba Cathedral became the second main cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church. The main temple of Georgia since the 11th century for ten centuries is the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta.
In terms of its size, the Tsminda Sameba Temple is the largest in Georgia and one of the largest cathedrals in the world. Its height from the ground to the cross reaches 86 meters, while the cathedral has several more floors underground.
Tsminda Sameba Cathedral was built by architect Archil Mindiashvili. A large recreational area has been created around it, where a bell tower and three small temples are located. There are ten chapels dedicated to various Saints in the Cathedral of Tsminda Sameba. In front of the altar are the most valuable relics of the Georgian Church. One of them is the Cross of the Jvari Monastery in a golden sarcophagus. Jvari was built in 590 and it is one of the oldest functioning Christian churches in the world.
The most valuable icons are also kept here. Many of them are ancient, but there are also new ones, in particular, a large icon "Hope of Georgia" (size 3x3 meters). It depicts 432 saints. The icon is in a salary of gold and precious stones.
