6th-Century Georgian Monastery Defaced: Church Issues Statement

Mtskheta, Georgia, February 14, 2025

Photo: agenda.ge

One of the crown jewels of the Georgian Orthodox Church was vandalized this week.

The incident occurred at the 6th-century Jvari Monastery, located near the ancient capital of Mtskheta. Its Church of the Holy Cross is a rare case of an early medieval Georgian church that has survived nearly unchanged till today. The monastery is listed as UNESCO World Heritage site together with other historic structures in Mtskheta.

The vandal published footage of the crime himself on his own social media accounts. It’s believed he is a foreign citizen who is still in Georgia. He is known to be active in the ongoing protests against the current Georgian government. A newscast from TV Imedi shows the vandal’s footage:

The Georgian Patriarchate issued a statement about the crime, expressing its sorrow but also calling on the faithful not to retaliate:

We express our deep sorrow regarding the sacrilege that was recently committed against our distinguished holy site, a UNESCO World Heritage Monument—the Jvari Monastery of Mtskheta. This is an offensive act by foreign citizen(s) not only against the Church but against the entire country.

Information is being circulated that this person (or persons) are still in Georgia, and there have been calls for personal retaliation against them, which is unacceptable.

We note that we have submitted a written appeal to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to establish the authenticity of the facts and for appropriate response.

The Sakdrisi Committee for Cultural Heritage has also condemned the attack, calling on the relevant authorities to respond quickly. It also calls on the local municipality “to monitor the uncontrolled movement of tourists in the vicinity of the monument.”

OrthoChristian reported on a similar incident at the same monastery Georgia: Graffiti in Arabic and Turkish appeared on walls of ancient monastery in MtskhetaA criminal investigation was opened under Article 2582, Section 3 of the Georgian criminal code (destruction of national memorials, and damage to or destruction of monuments included in the world heritage list), which is punishable by four to eight years of imprisonment.

“>in 2016.

Read more about the holy habitation in the article, “Jvari Monastery and the Spring of St. NinoWithin the nation of Georgia, there are numerous holy sites that are located within an hour of the nation’s capital of Tbilisi and are connected with the conversion of the Georgian nation itself to the Christian faith in the fourth century AD.