Path Climbing to the Church. The paved path climbs toward the church, which sits on its grassy mound beside the remains of the enclosure wall. 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. The church is a tetraconch: four apses around a central dome, with deep round niches tucked between them — a compact, perfectly balanced plan.
