Martvili Canyon | Kutaisi
The Martvili Canyon, used
to be a bath place for Georgian Nobles, Dadiani family. It is a natural wonder in the Samegrelo region of
Georgia, near the town of Martvili. Also called the Gachedili Canyon, it is
about a 45 minute drive from the city of Kutaisi in West Georgia.
The
canyon is divided into two parts, Upper and Lower. You can ride a boat along
the canyon from the Upper part that leads to a waterfall falling from the
height of about 12 meters. Thanks to the climate of the terrain and high humidity,
the walls of the canyon are covered with moss, you will also see lianas that
grow along the whole length of the canyon, small streams and waterfalls. A
truly fabulous picture!
You can
also walk along the Dadiani trial. To be honest both the boat ride and the
trail was a bit of a disappointment because they were both very short. However, they were beautiful.
In the
lower part of the canyon there is a “pool” where you can swim and enjoy the
beauty of the surrounding nature. Even on the hottest day the water here is
cool, therefore this place is very popular among locals who come to
Martvili to run away from the summer heat. In summer days, the canyon is
full of tourists and locals.
GEL 28 for boat trip and trail entrance fee.
While
visiting Martivili canyon it is worth to visit the Martvil Monastery
(Chkondidi) of the VI century, which is on the way to the canyon. In 735
the monastery was burnt, the paintings on the walls were destroyed. And only a
century and a half later it was restored. Today, on the territory of the
monastery there is the temple of the Assumption of the Virgin, the church of
the 10th century, in the south-west there is a 20-meter-high pillar and chapel,
which was built on the site of an old destroyed chapel.
I didn't visit the monastery, but have heard the below about it:
On its highest hill there is a
Monastery. The site upon the hill where the monastery stands today was
used in ancient times as a pagan cultural center and was a sacred site. There
once stood an ancient and enormous oak tree that was worshipped as an idol of
fertility and prosperity. Infants were once sacrificed here as well. After the
conversion of the native population to Christianity, the ancient tree was cut
down so as not to worship it anymore. A church was originally constructed in
the late 7th century upon the roots of the old oak tree and was named in honor
of Saint Andrew who preached Christianity and converted the pagans across the
Samegrelo region.
The main Martvili-Chkondidi
Cathedral (Mingrelian: Chkoni translates to “oak”) was reconstructed in the 10th
century after invasions that destroyed the prior church. Preserved in the
church are frescoes of the 14th to 17th centuries.
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