Kashveti Church

Opposite School No 1 stands the Kashveti Church, on a spot where it is said pagan rituals used to take place. The first church here is supposed to have been built in the 6th century by Davit Gareja, one of the ascetic 'Syrian fathers' who returned from the Middle East to spread Christianity in Georgia.

According to legend, a nun accused him of impregnating her. He replied that if this were true, she'd give birth to a baby, and if not, to a stone, which duly happened. Kashveti means 'Stone Birth'. The existing 1910 building was designed by architect Leopold Bielfeld as a copy of the 11th-century Samtavisi Church, 60km northwest of Tbilisi.