Old and New Shuamta

Shuamta, meaning 'between the mountains', is a pair of monasteries in the forest on the slopes of the Tsiv-Gombori range, about 7 km from Telavi. Old Shuamta (Dzveli Shuamta) is a clearing with three stone churches: a 5th-century three-nave basilica, a 7th-century domed church whose plan resembles Jvari near Mtskheta, and a smaller 7th-century domed church. There are no monks, and the atmosphere is still and slightly wild, with moss on the stones and birdsong in the trees.

New Shuamta (Akhali Shuamta), about 2 km away on the same forest road, is an active convent founded in the 16th century. Its church holds the tomb of its founder, Queen Tinatin, and members of the Chavchavadze family, including the poet Alexander Chavchavadze, are buried there. A copy of the Khakhuli triptych, once given to the convent, is kept in the church; the original is in Tbilisi. Visit New Shuamta first, ring at the gate, and expect to see mainly the church.

Old Shuamta's churches date from the 5th to 7th centuries. After the old monastery was abandoned, Queen Tinatin, wife of King Levan of Kakheti, founded New Shuamta in the 16th century; tradition says she chose the spot after a dream. She later took vows there and was buried in the church on her death in 1591. The Soviet authorities closed the monastery in 1926, and monastic life resumed after Georgian independence.