Samtavro Monastery

Samtavro Monastery (Georgian: სამთავროს მონასტერი) is a Georgian Orthodox Christian monastery complex that combines Samtavro Transfiguration Church and Nunnery of St. Nino in Mtskheta, Georgia. Built presumably in the 4th century by the King Mirian III, and reconstructed in the 11th century by the King George I and Catholicos-Patriarch Melchizedek I, Samtavro is an important Early and High Medieval historical and architectural monument, and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994 along other historical monuments in Mtskheta. Samtavro church is cross-in-square temple, with arches and other decorations typical for the 11th century Georgian architecture. The graves of Mirian III and the famous Georgian Saint monk Gabriel are located in the yard of Samtavro Church.