Discover Georgia Tours

Monastery Tour 2011

Important Details
Tour Locations
Leader Profiles
Flights

In our sixth season, join us for an exploration of Georgia's oldest monasteries, founded in the sixth century by Christian ascetics from Assyria. Be among the first westerners to rediscover the frescoes and acoustics of these ancient houses of worship set amidst rolling vineyards, towering peaks, and the desert vistas of the Caspian basin. Led by co-authors Luarsab Togonidze and John A. Graham, this unique tour seeks to investigate the sounds and wonders of medieval Georgia, while presenting the world-famous hospitality and charm of modern Georgia.

Contact and reservations:

John A Graham
johnananda@georgianchant.org
145 Windsor Dr.
White River Jct.
VT 05001 USA

Tour Locations:

Borjomi

+ Located along the Mtkvari river valley, the city of Borjomi has been settled since ancient times. The Borjomi Gorge was an important "southern gateway" to inner Kartli, and linked the major settlements in southern Georgia and Anatolia with the Eastern Georgian kingdom of Iberia. Surrounded by forested mountain ranges and mineral springs (Borjomi Mineral Water is still famous throughout the former USSR), Tsar Nicholas chose the area as an ideal summer hunting retreat to host international guests during the 19th century. We will use the Borjomi locale to stage day trips to the 12th century fortresses and monasteries on the upper Mtkvari river, such as the Khertvisi Fortress, Vardzia cave comlex, and Sapara monastery.

Sighnaghi

+ Sighnaghi, a hilltop fortress town built by King Erekle in the 18th century; boasts twenty seven towers and a four kilometer defensive wall overlooking the broad Alezani valley, commanding a 180 degree view of the Great Caucasus Range. Once an artisan capital, Sighnaghi is quickly re-establishing itself as a center of the artistic renaissance of 21st century Georgia, hosting three dance troupes, folk and sacred choirs, painting, music, carpet-making, and wood-working studios, as well as a regional branch of the State University. We will make ourselves at home in this charming town for the first half of the tour while we visit the incredible treasures of medieval architecture in the region including the Bodbe, Alaverdi, Ghirsa, and Iqalto monasteries.

Telavi

+ Telavi, regional capital of the Kakheti region. Telavi is situated at the top of the long Alezani wine-growing valley, at the base of the Great Caucasus range, and has been the seat of kings for several centuries. In the Telavi region there are many famous monasteries and castles, including the 8th century double domed Kvelatsminda church, the 11th and 12th masterpieces of Alaverdi Cathedral and Iqalto Academy, the 16th century Gremi fortress and Shuamta Convent, and the 19th century Tsinandali palace and winery.

Tbilisi

+ Tbilisi, capital city of Georgia, founded in the 5th century by King Vakhtang Gorgasali. A center of trade and conflict for centuries, Tbilisi has been sacked forty times by various invaders but survives today as the modern hub of the South Caucasus. Nevertheless, the downtown area is full of winding cobblestone streets, small shops and restaurants, as well as the churches, synagogues, and mosques that celebrate the diversity of this unique country. As we tour monasteries in the ancient capital region, a comfortable downtown Tbilisi hotel will serve as our home-base, affording a chance to sample the best of Tbilisi's dining and evening entertainment, and visit the wealth of museums, spas, and cultural delights in the "Old Town."

Qazbegi

+ Mount Qazbegi, the mythical mountain hold of Prometheus' epic torture, elevates to an impressive snowcap, 15,000 feet above sea level. Against this backdrop, the small hamlet of St. Stephens and the hauntingly silhouetted Gergeti Trinity Monastery (13th century) strikes an indelibly austere frame, and has become the ultimate destination for Caucasian alpinist-adventurer and Christian pilgrim alike.

Leader Profiles:

Luarsab Togonidze

Educated in Canada and England, Luarsab lives with his wife Nino and their four children in Tbilisi where he works as a 19th century historical consultant for the Georgian Patriarchate and operates a company, Samoseli Pirveli, that produces and researches historical garments. He is currently working on a project to document and identify 19th and early 20th century priests and monks, using data collected from archives, churches, and family histories. Luarsab brings a passion for medieval Georgian culture, history, and a wonderful singing voice to the tour, and commands significant respect from within the Georgian Orthodox community. His other business is restaurants, so he guarantees the best food in Georgia for our tour!

John A Graham

Ethnomusicologist and Georgian chant scholar, John is a Ph. D. candidate at Princeton University, where he is pursuing research for a dissertation titled "Transmission and Transcription of Georgian Liturgical Music." He has been traveling to Georgia to study music and language in Georgia since 2003, including on a Fulbright research grant in 2004, and regularly gives lectures on his research at international conferences. In his ongoing efforts to popularize Georgian culture and music, he organized US-based tours for the world-renowned Anchiskhati Church Choir in 2005 and the energetic Zedashe Ensemble in 2007. John brings his developed organizational skills, knowledge of Georgia, and passion for music and history to the Monastery Tour.

Where is Georgia?

Georgia is a country nestled in the South Caucasus along the eastern coast of the Black Sea and is bordered by Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Daghestan, and Russia.

Some information on the region can be found on the web. For starters, look at:

Flights to Georgia:

Airfare to and from Georgia is reliable, with hub airports in London, Vienna, Paris, and Istanbul. We recommend avoiding hub routes through Moscow.

From New York and Boston, prices in 2010 ranged from $1000-$1200 roundtrip, from European destinations between $400-$700 roundtrip. Many guests found it convenient to route through Istanbul. Airline reservations before May 1st recommended.

The tour provides airport pickup and dropoff to make your transition as comfortable as possible, and we can help with supplementary hotel reservations depending on the length of your overall visit to Georgia.

Contact and Reservations