Green Monastery (Mtsvane), Borjomi

Green Monastery entrance fee and opening hours

Entry is free. Candles and donations are up to you and paid in cash — there is no card machine. The only real cost of the trip is the taxi.

The monastery has no official opening hours. The grounds are generally open in daylight, but visitors’ access is limited during the liturgy, most often on Sunday mornings and church holidays. For a quiet look inside, come on a weekday around midday.

Georgia’s currency is the lari (GEL). Visa and Mastercard work in most cafés and shops in Borjomi, but taxis and donations are cash, so get lari from an ATM in town before you set off.

Is the Green Monastery worth visiting?

Yes, if you have more than a day in Borjomi. It is one of the oldest churches around the resort and by far the most peaceful spot nearby: an early medieval basilica, a carved bell tower, a stream and thick forest, with hardly a souvenir stall in sight. Count on 45 minutes on site and 1.5–2 hours in total.

Skip it if you only have half a day — stay in Borjomi Central Park and walk up to the sulphur baths instead. And don’t expect a richly decorated interior: the church is plain and dim. Its appeal is age and setting.

What is the Green Monastery?

Its official name is the Chitakhevi Monastery of St George; locals call it Mtsvane, Georgian for “green”, after the greenish stone of its walls and the woods that wrap around it. It sits in a narrow side gorge in the southwestern corner of Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, home to a small community of monks.

The main church is a three-nave basilica from the late 9th or early 10th century. Tradition credits Kristefore and Tevdore, disciples of the monastic leader Grigol Khandzteli, with founding it. In 2012 a roof fragment inscribed with St George’s name in the old Asomtavruli script turned up on site, confirming the dedication.

History and the legend of the red stones

In the 16th century troops of the Persian Shah Tahmasp I sacked the monastery and killed the monks. Legend says their blood stained the stones of the stream below, and reddish boulders still lie in the water — a story, not a fact, but the reason pilgrims have come here for centuries.

War and banditry emptied the Borjomi valley in the 18th century and the monastery was left to the forest for more than two hundred years. Clearing began in 1978, restoration followed in the 1980s, and monks moved back in 2002 or 2003 — sources disagree on the year.

What to see

• The Church of St George — dim inside, lit mainly by two windows in the apse, with fragments of medieval wall painting in the apse and on the west wall.
• The bell tower — a small chapel on the ground floor, an open belfry above, and St George slaying the dragon carved on the east side. Encyclopedias date it to the 15th–16th century; guides range from the 14th to the 17th.
• Ruined monks’ cells — a reminder that the medieval monastery was much bigger.
• The springs behind the church, considered holy — bring a bottle. Locals speak of seven springs (unofficial).
• The stream with reddish stones below the monastery, the one from the legend.
• The forest itself: shade, cool air and the sound of water, even in midsummer.

Green Monastery vs Timotesubani vs Rabati

Pick the monasteries for age and quiet, Rabati for spectacle. The Green Monastery is the closest to Borjomi and sits right on the road to Rabati in Akhaltsikhe, so they pair well.

Churches and monasteries around Borjomi

Every place of worship around Borjomi rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

How to do it right

• Heading to Akhaltsikhe? Rabati Castle is on the same road — stop here on the way.
• Ask your taxi to wait: picking up a ride at the turn-off on the main road is hit and miss.
• Bring an empty bottle for the springs; there is nowhere to buy one on site.
• Arriving by transfer from Kutaisi or Tbilisi? Ask the driver to detour here.
• The church photographs best in the morning, before the sun climbs over the gorge.
• Come back to town via Likani Palace — it is on the way.

Questions