During the Middle Ages the Bodbe church became the place where the coronation of Kakhetian Kings took place. It is well known that a Persian ShahAbbas I witnessed the coronation of Teimuraz I (1589-1663), but this did not keep him from, in just a few years, almost destroying the Convent. Soon after, in order to rebuild the church King Teimuraz I himself worked very hard.

From time immemorial, Bodbe Convent represented not only an ecclesiastical but also a cultural center. A theological school started functioning in the 17" century where not only theological subjects, but also popular sciences were taught. Here was also located one of the richest book depositories in Georgia. From the second half of 18"' century, there existed in Bodbe a Monastery with numerous monks.

The 19th century appeared to be an extremely complex period for Georgia and its church. In 1801 the Russian Emperor Alexander I annulled the Kingdom of Kartli and Kakheti and proclaimed it a Russian province, which was a rude violation of the ..Georgievsky Traktat" an agreement of friendship between Georgia and Russia signed in 1783. The agreement was made with a co-religionist country, Russia, by King Erekle II in order to protect Georgia from invasions of muslim aggressors. Soon the Church of Georgia shared the fate of the country, and, its autocephaly, which was granted to Georgia in the fifth century from Antioch, in 1811 was  annulled by the decision of the Holy Synod of Russia. Since then the Church of Georgia was ruled by Russian bishops. In that period many dioceses were annulled, the Bodbe diocese among them (1837).

Bodbe convent in the early 20 th century

The last Bishop of the Bodbe before the end of the Eparchy was the illustrious ecclesiastical person John Maqashvili (Bodbeli). By him in 1823 the Convent was reconstructed and decorated once more, the Cathedral was painted, and a new iconostasis was constructed (painting and iconostasis still exist). The bishop's palace was built in the area attached to the yard of the church. The annulment of Bodbe Eparchy and Seminary coincided with the death of John Maqashvili. However, a Monastery in Bodbe was still functioning, ruled by Archimandrites. Under the leadership of Archimandrite Nikoloz Mikeladze there was built a three-storied bell-tower, which still exists in the yard of the Bodbe Convent. Soon the Monastery was also annulled and was later restored thanks to the great efforts of a famous person, icon painter Michael Sabinin, who took the responsibility to take care of the Monastery left without hosts. His untiring work was preparing the ground for the foundation of a Convent.

The first inhabitants of the reopened Convent became twelve Sisters sent by the Russian Emperor Alexander III after his visit to Georgia. One of these sisters, Abbess Juvenalia, became the first Mother Superior of the Convent.

Mother Tamar (in the world Georgian Princess Tamar Marjanishvili, the sister of the famous theatrical director, Kote Marjanishvili) was her successor who was subsequently well known by her activity in Russia.

At the beginning of the 20"' century, there were three hundred sisters living in Bodbe and there was a college functioning for girls from noble families.

In 1906, by the Order of Russian Emperor Nikolai II, Bodbe was awarded the title of first-class Monastery.

In the year 1917, some hierarchs of the Church of Georgia, who took advantage of the situation formed in Russia, managed to restore the autocephaly of the Apostolic Church of Georgia. Then political independence of Georgia was also restored. 

In the year 1921 the independence of Georgia, unfortunately, appeared to have a very short life and was annulled as a result of the second annexation of Georgia this time by Bolshevik Russia. The process was accompanied by persecution of the Church of Georgia and closing of monasteries, the Bodbe Convent among them. It was annulled in the year 1924. The last person in charge there was the Mother Superior of the Convent, Abbess Nino (in the world Princess Elene Vachnadze). Being a hard worker, she was a disciplinarian of the Bodbe College, she helped young people to become acquainted with monastic life, and till the last moment she looked after her dear home. Bolsheviks threatened to kill her many times, but she, with God's help protected her vulnerability with a shield of faith, nevertheless in the end she was forced to leave Bodbe. She spent the rest of her life in Tbilisi and served at the Anchiskhati church. After she passed away, according to her will, her remains were taken back and buried in the yard of the Convent.

Sir Oliver Wordrop, who visited the place in 1919 and admired the Cloister, in a letter to his wife speaks well about the state of the Monastery in former times: ,,Where we reached the Convent we found a triumphal arch erected (made of foliage) and were received by the Mother Superior (a Princess Vachnadze). The nuns in their black robes with their curious tall headdresses and veils, the girls of the convent school (all in white dresses) and the people of the neigh bouring villages were all collected in the in closure of the Convent. The priest led me into the little church, originally built in the fourth century, and held a short service of a few minutes, praying for the servant of God, Oliver, and the nuns sang a hymn ...Then the abbess showed me all over the girls'school-dormitories, class-rooms, refectory, kitchen and the work rooms where carpets, embroidery, ecclesiastical vestments and icons are made ... We also saw the large garden attached to the Convent and then loaded with flowers presented by the girls and thrown into the car and amid the shouts of the people we galloped (or rather accompanied our gallopping escort) into Signakh." (It is worth while to mention that this letter was passed over to the contemporary Mother Superior of the Convent, Abbess Theodora, by the daughter of Oliver Wordrop. She carries the name of the Enlightener of Georgia and lives in England. She inherited love of Georgia from her father and aunt. She shows a living interest to the Convent of her Saint-patroness. It is clear from her correspondence with Mother of Bodbe).