Kvemo Kartli

Manglisi Sioni

Manglisi Sioni is an important Georgian architectural monument and one of the oldest Christian centers in Georgia. The first church in Manglisi was built in IV century, and from V century it is a center of Episcopacy. The dates of basic layers of today's cathedral go down to VII century. In 1002 cathedral was renovated. Eastern part of the cathedral, entrance gates and ornamentation of walls belong to XI century. Painting of the dome also belongs to that era. In 1852 the Russian administration whitewashed interior of the cathedral that totally destroyed fresco painting. The fence of the cathedral and a belfry built in it were constructed at that time. There is a trace of Russian architecture in the decor of the cathedral. In the courtyard of the cathedral there are a lot of graves of XVIII-XIX centuries.