Svetitskhoveli 
     

The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Georgia, is the largest ecclesiastical construction extant in the country. According to legend, the cathedral rose on the site of Georgia's first Christian church of the fourty century. Outstanding Georgian architect Arsukisdze built the cathedral in 1010-1029. The cathedral was badly damaged at the end of the XIV century during the invasion of Thamerlane. The cupola was restored in the XV century. The facades are decorated with ornamental carving and reliefs. Worthy of mention are the fragments remaining of the original frescoes. The cathedral is the burial place of Georgian kings. It typifies the high standards of the second heyday of medieval Georgian architecture which falls on the X-XIII centuries.

The history of Mtskheta in Christian times is the history of the Catholicate, of cloisters and churches. The most important of these was Svetitskhoveli, the Cathedral of the Catjolicate. Almost every Georgian king and catjolicjs tried to do his share in improving the cathedral and beautifying it. Svetitskhoveli was restored and embellished, and given offerings by the Catholicos Melchisedec, the kings Bagrat III, Giorgi the Illustrious, Alexandre I (the Great), Vakhtang VI, King Rostom and Queen Mariam, Erekle II, and many others.

Svetitskhoveli was the place, where the Georgian Bagrationis were ordained kings. Georgian monarchs, members of the royal family, and catholicos-patriarchs were buried in Svetitskhoveli. This xhurch is the final resting-place of King Vakhtang Gorgasali and of the last Georgian kings, Erekle II and Giorgi XII.