Faithful

Two women making their devotions at the entrance to Holy Trinity Cathedral

Sioni Cathedral

The outside of the Sioni Cathdral, one of Tbilisi's most important orthodox churches.

Churches

Tbilisi is a city of churches, many of them tightly packed into the old town. In this view the church on the right is Sioni Cathedral, formerly the seat of the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church. The tower at the bottom of the picture belongs to the Jvarismama church. The large church to its left is the Norashen church. This was originally an Armenian church but is currently closed - and crumbling - because of a dispute between the Georgian church and the Armenian church over ownership. The city's only synagogue and only mosque are both located within a few hundred yards of this group of churches.

Avlabari

A view of the Avlabari district of Old Tbilisi. This was the old Armenian part of the city but the area is now dominated by the recently completed Sameba Cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church. There are around 85,000 Armenians in the city, though at one time it was home to many more. Some accounts suggest that Armenians made up 40% of the population in the nineteenth century.

Sioni Cathedral Interior

Aview looking up into the dome of the Cathedral.

Sioni Cathedral 3

A view of one of the grave markers set into the ground by the walls of Sioni Cathedral.

Sioni Cathedral 2

On the other side of the Cathedral from that shown in yesterday's picture, this green bench stands before some grave markers set into the ground.

Sioni Cathedral

I saw these two sitting on a bench outside the church having a chat but didn't want to be too intrusive.

Sameba Holy Trinity Cathedral

One last image of the Cathedral showing the detail of the roof over the dome with the roof of a smaller church standing before it. To me there is a nice contrast of the simplicity of the foreground structure and the grandeur of the Cathedral itself.

Sameba Holy Trinity Cathedral Interior

A view into the main dome of the Cathdral. Most churches in the city don't have this degree of natural lighting. The many windows and the position of the Cathedral, which dominates the neighbourhood, create a very different atmosphere.

Sameba Holy Trinity Cathedral

The approach to the main entrance of the Cathedral gives an idea of its scale and setting.

Sameba Holy Trinity Cathedral Interior

Unlike many of Tbilisi's churches the interior of the Cathedral is bright and airy - bright enough to take pictures. Most of the churches are small, with few windows, the only light coming from candles burning before icons. It makes for a beautiful, atmospheric space but it also makes it very difficult to take pictures.

Sameba Holy Trinity Cathedral

Sameba Cathedral stands on a hill overlooking central Tbilisi. It was consecrated in 2005 and is the largest religious building in Georgia and the Caucasus.