Samtskhe - Javakheti

Vanis Kvabebi

Vanis Kvabebi (Vanis Caves) - a monastic ensemble located on the Javakheti Plateau, within a narrow ravine of the Mtkvari river, on the road to Vardzia this cave complex was created in VIII-XVI centuries. Buildings of this multi-storey ensemble include hall-churches, monastic cells and auxiliary chambers, and the remains of tunnels and a water-supply system. The cupola church was restored in 1180. The ensemble was formerly surrounded by an impressive wall, erected in 1204. The epigraphic inscriptional monuments found here include fragments from Shota Rustaveli's "The Knight in the Panther's Skin", and date back to the second half of XV c.