Jvari Monastery: First View of the Church behind the Walls

First View of the Church behind the Walls. Beyond a bare tree and the ruined wall, the dome of the church appears for the first time above the path. The Great Church of Jvari was raised between about 586 and 605 under Stepanoz I, ruler of Kartli — and it still stands largely as it was built more than 1,400 years ago. Jvari means “cross” in Georgian: by tradition Saint Nino raised a great wooden cross on this hilltop in the 4th century, after King Mirian III accepted Christianity.