Of all the ancient temples of Tiflis that have survived to this day, the greatest attention should be paid to the Zion Cathedral. Here it is affectionately called Sioni, it is located in a picturesque place, on the banks of the Kura River. Its project was developed in the 5th century by Vakhtang Gurgaslan, but the plan was not implemented by him. Only a century later, King Guram resumed the construction of two temples at once – Metekhi and Sioni.
Silent witness
No one has any doubts that the temple was destroyed as many times as the long-suffering Tbilisi. In the 8th century, Sultan Jalal ed-Din ordered the dome to be removed and drove to the top of the temple on specially constructed scaffolding in order to enjoy the picture of the torment of the inhabitants of the captured city.
Through fire and water
Today, the spiritual landmark of Tbilisi has the status of the Cathedral, and it is also the residence of the Catholicos – Patriarch of the Georgian Christian Church. The main shrine of all Georgia is kept within its walls – the cross of St. Nino, which approved Christianity in the Georgian lands. The cross was made from vines and fastened, as legend has it, with Nino’s own hair.