Dug into the side of Mount Erusheli in southern Georgia, the ancient cave monastery of Vardzia is not just spectacular physically, it is also one of the region’s most important historical and cultural sites.

Founded by Queen Tamar in 1185 AD, Vardzia was constructed as a monastic sanctuary from the Mongols, accessible only via a secret tunnel near the Mtkvari River.  The complex consisted of over 6000 apartments in a thirteen-story complex and included a church, a throne room and a terraced agricultural and irrigation system.  Because of this, it is regarded as perhaps the first eco-friendly, self-sustainable structure in Europe.

Although Vardzia protected the monks from the Mongols for nearly a century, it could not defend against Mother Nature.  In 1283, a major earthquake destroyed approximately two-thirds of the city, exposing the caves to outside view and collapsing the irrigation system.  In 1551, Persians raided the monastery and slaughtered the remaining monks.  After that, the site was left abandoned until the mid-20th century, when a small group of monks returned to the monastery.

A closer look at a few of the cave openings at Vardzia.  Photo: Tony Bowden

Today, the site remains a monastery as well as a local tourist attraction in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of southern Georgia.  It is accessible daily by marshrutka (share taxi), and for a small fee visitors can explore the approximately 300 remaining apartments and halls, some of whose irrigation pipes still draw drinkable water.

But while the old pipes have held up miraculously over many centuries, a new article in Popular Archaeology states that the priceless wall paintings adorning the Church of the Dormition have not fared so well.  According to the report, paintings depicting images of the Virgin Mary, Queen Tamar, nationally revered saints and the Passion of Christ have “deteriorated and faded due largely to past neglect and mismanagement.”  An official from the British Georgian Society calls the condition of the paintings “alarming.”

In response to these reports, The National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia, the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, and the Courtauld Institute of Art are collaborating to help protect and restore the wall paintings.  If successful, their preservation should be a key part of Georgia’s bid to inscribe Vardzia (on the country’s “Tentative List” since 2007) as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.