# Timotesubani Monastery, Borjomi > Timotesubani is a working monastery 17–18 km southeast of Borjomi, near Tsaghveri. Its rose-brick Church of the Dormition dates from around 1200 and is painted almost wall to wall with Queen Tamar-era frescoes. Entry is free and there are no official hours — come in daylight. Allow 45 minutes on site, about 2 hours with a taxi there and back. Web page: https://yesgo.io/georgia/borjomi/timotesubani-monastery - City: [Borjomi](https://yesgo.io/georgia/borjomi), Georgia - YesGo score: 31/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 45 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free; donations welcome - Hours: No timetable; daytime, limited access during services - Where: Timotesubani village, 17–18 km southeast of Borjomi; turn off in Tsaghveri - Getting there: Taxi from Borjomi, or a Bakuriani-bound marshrutka to Tsaghveri, then 2–4 km on foot or by local taxi - Dress code: Shoulders and knees covered; headscarf and skirt for women - Payment: Cash in lari for transport, candles and donations - Coordinates: 41.81064, 43.51822 - Facts checked: 02.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1205–1215** — when the church was painted — one of the fullest fresco cycles of Queen Tamar’s age (source: Advantour; Georgian Travel Guide; Russian Wikipedia; Courtauld Institute) - **Shalva of Akhaltsikhe** — lord of Tori who had the church built; an inscription inside names him as patron (source: English Wikipedia; Georgian National Tourism Administration; Advantour) - **20 m²** — the size of the Last Judgement on the west wall (source: Georgian National Tourism Administration; Advantour) - **The Dormition** — dedication of the main church, to the Dormition of the Virgin (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Georgian National Tourism Administration) - **Rose brick** — the church is built of pale pink “Georgian” brick rather than stone (source: Georgian National Tourism Administration; Russian Wikipedia; Advantour) - **28 m** — height of the church including the cross; it is 19 m wide (source: Georgian National Tourism Administration; Russian Wikipedia; Advantour) - **Azure tiles** — glazed ceramic details set into the dome drum (source: Russian Wikipedia; Georgian Travel Guide; Courtauld Institute) - **11th–18th century** — the span over which the monastery complex was built and extended (source: English Wikipedia; Georgian National Tourism Administration) - **2000–2006** — frescoes cleaned and conserved with World Monuments Fund support (source: English Wikipedia; World Monuments Fund; Advantour) - **St Barbara** — a small single-nave basilica on the upper north terrace (source: Georgian National Tourism Administration; Advantour; Russian Wikipedia) ## How to get to Timotesubani Monastery from Borjomi 1. Start at the Borjomi Central Park gates on 9 April Street, by the Ekaterina spring pavilion. Timotesubani lies southeast, off the Bakuriani road — the opposite direction from the Green Monastery and Akhaltsikhe. 2. The easy way is a **taxi**: 17–18 km up the mountain road towards Bakuriani, turning off in the centre of Tsaghveri (also spelled Tsagveri) for Timotesubani village. The drive takes roughly 30–40 minutes (unofficial). Agree the fare first and ask the driver to wait — there is no way to find a ride back at the monastery. 3. On a budget: walk about 20 minutes to the bus station by Borjomi railway station and take a marshrutka heading for Bakuriani or Tsaghveri. Ask to be dropped in the centre of Tsaghveri. Departures are only a few times a day (unofficial), so check times at the bus station the day before. 4. From Tsaghveri it is 2–4 km to the monastery along a road through a narrow wooded gorge — sources give different figures. Allow about an hour uphill on foot, or pick up a local taxi in the village. 5. The Kukushka narrow-gauge train, which stops at Tsaghveri station, is closed for restoration — don’t count on it until a timetable is published. > **Dress code: cover shoulders and knees** This is a working Georgian Orthodox men’s monastery. Women need a headscarf and a skirt below the knee; men need long trousers — no shorts or vests. Wraps are sometimes available at the door, but that is unofficial, so bring your own scarf. Don’t touch the walls and don’t use flash: these paintings took six years of conservation to save. ## Timotesubani Monastery opening hours and entrance fee There is **no entrance fee** and no ticket. Candles and donations are optional and paid in cash — the church shop has no card machine. Your real cost is the taxi or marshrutka. The monastery publishes no opening hours. In practice the grounds are open in daylight, but during the liturgy — mostly Sunday mornings and church holidays — visitors should wait outside or stand quietly at the back. To study the frescoes in peace, come on a weekday around midday, when the most light falls through the windows. Georgia’s currency is the lari (GEL). Visa and Mastercard work in most cafés and shops in Borjomi, but marshrutkas, taxis and the monastery are cash only, so use an ATM in town before you leave. There is no café or shop by the gate — bring water and a snack. ## What makes the Timotesubani frescoes special? The paintings are the reason to come. They were done around 1205–1215 — scholars dating them by the lettering say no later than the 1220s — and they cover almost the entire interior. Few churches of Georgia’s golden age keep a cycle this complete, and you can tell several painters worked here: the style shifts noticeably from one part of the church to another. As you step in, a large image of **Christ the Saviour** faces you. The **Last Judgement**, about 20 m², spreads across the west wall and onto its neighbours, and the Virgin looks down from the altar arch. The windows of the north wall were blocked and painted over while the church was still being built, so the scenes there run unbroken. Damp and a leaking dome nearly finished the murals off. Between 2000 and 2006 a conservation project backed by the World Monuments Fund and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation secured the plaster and fixed the roof, windows and drainage — which is why the colours read so clearly today. ## Is Timotesubani Monastery worth visiting? Yes, if medieval painting interests you or you have more than a day in Borjomi. Nothing else near the resort keeps a fresco cycle from Queen Tamar’s time this complete: the [Green Monastery](https://yesgo.io/georgia/borjomi/green-monastery) has only fragments, while here nearly every wall is painted. Plan 45 minutes on site and about 2 hours in total. Skip it if you only have half a day — the round trip eats most of it, and [Borjomi Central Park](https://yesgo.io/georgia/borjomi/borjomi-central-park) is a better use of a short stay. If frescoes leave you cold, the Green Monastery is closer and simpler to reach, with the same forest calm. ## What is Timotesubani Monastery? Timotesubani is a monastery of the Virgin in the village of the same name, in the wooded valley of the Gujaretistskali river, in the historic province of **Tori**. Buildings went up here from the 11th to the 18th century, but the heart of it is the **Church of the Dormition**: a cross-in-square church with three apses, its dome resting on two free-standing pillars. It was built in the reign of Queen Tamar on the initiative of **Shalva of Akhaltsikhe** (Toreli-Akhaltsikheli), military commander and lord of Tori; an inscription from the time names him as the church’s patron. The Georgian Church later made him a saint, and tradition says he is buried here — a story no document confirms. What sets it apart is the material. Instead of the usual stone, the church is built of pale pink **“Georgian” brick**, with glazed azure ceramic details in the dome drum. It stands 28 m high including the cross and 19 m wide. Today it is again a working monastery with a community of monks. ## What to see - **The Church of the Dormition** — rose brick, a tall drum and conical dome, azure tiles below the roofline. Walk all the way round: the west and south porches were added later. - **The frescoes inside** — Christ the Saviour by the entrance, the Last Judgement, the Virgin on the altar arch. Give your eyes a minute to adjust to the dim light. - **St Barbara’s basilica** — a small single-nave church on the upper north terrace. - **The remains of a stone burial vault** northeast of the main church. - **The arched red-brick gateway** and the ruins of 10th–11th-century monastery buildings north of the church. - **The monks’ cells** in the courtyard and the church shop, which sells candles and sometimes a book on the murals. - The valley itself — especially in autumn, when the woods turn yellow and red. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Headscarf and skirt, or long trousers - [ ] Cash in lari for transport, candles and donations - [ ] Taxi fare and waiting time agreed - [ ] Marshrutka time to Tsaghveri checked at the bus station - [ ] Walking shoes if going on foot from Tsaghveri - [ ] Water and a snack — nothing is sold at the monastery - [ ] Not arriving mid-liturgy on Sunday morning — or ready to stand quietly ## Timotesubani vs the Green Monastery | | Timotesubani | Green Monastery | | --- | --- | --- | | Where | 17–18 km southeast, Bakuriani road | ≈ 12 km southwest, Akhaltsikhe road | | Main church | Cross-in-square, around 1200 | Three-nave basilica, 9th–10th century | | Built of | Rose brick | Stone | | Frescoes | Almost the whole church, 1205–1215 | Fragments in the apse and on the west wall | | Best for | Golden-age wall painting | Age, forest and silence | | Entry | Free | Free | The two monasteries lie on opposite sides of Borjomi, so they don’t combine into one short trip. Go to Timotesubani for the paintings; pick the Green Monastery if you want an ancient, quiet place close to town. ## Churches and monasteries around Borjomi Every place of worship around Borjomi rated by YesGo. - [Green Monastery (Mtsvane)](https://yesgo.io/georgia/borjomi/green-monastery) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free; donations welcome - [Timotesubani Monastery](https://yesgo.io/georgia/borjomi/timotesubani-monastery) — YesGo score 31/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free; donations welcome - [Rabati Castle](https://yesgo.io/georgia/borjomi/rabati-castle) — YesGo score 21/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · 20 GEL for foreign visitors ## Timotesubani and Borjomi in a day The monastery in the morning while the light in the church is soft, Villa Firuza after lunch, then the park and the warm sulphur pools to end the day. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers. 1. [Timotesubani Monastery](https://yesgo.io/georgia/borjomi/timotesubani-monastery) — YesGo score 31/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free; donations welcome 2. [Villa Firuza (Mirza Riza Khan House)](https://yesgo.io/georgia/borjomi/villa-firuza) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 15 min · Free — seen from the street 3. [Borjomi Central Park](https://yesgo.io/georgia/borjomi/borjomi-central-park) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ≈ 5 GEL (unofficial) 4. [Borjomi Sulphur Baths](https://yesgo.io/georgia/borjomi/borjomi-sulphur-baths) — YesGo score 34/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ 5–10 GEL plus park entry > **Come around midday** The church is dim and the best scenes are high up under the dome. Arrive near midday when the windows let in the most light, wait a minute for your eyes to adjust, and shoot without flash — and not at all during a service unless you have asked. ## Good to know Timotesubani is both the village and the monastery in it. Search maps for “Timotesubani Monastery”, not just the village name, or you may end up in the village centre. Some guides list the address as “Tsaghveri, Borjomi” — that is the turn-off, not the monastery itself. ## Tips - Ask your taxi to wait — there is no ride back from the monastery. - Heading up to Bakuriani? The Tsaghveri turn-off is on the same road, so Timotesubani makes an easy detour. - Autumn is the most photogenic season, with the valley in yellow and red. - Get cash in Borjomi; don’t count on an ATM in Tsaghveri or at the monastery. - Arriving by transfer from Kutaisi or Tbilisi? Timotesubani is off the main road — it is easier as a separate trip from Borjomi. - Back in town, finish the day in the [sulphur baths](https://yesgo.io/georgia/borjomi/borjomi-sulphur-baths). ## Questions ### How do I get to Timotesubani Monastery from Borjomi? Taxi is easiest — roughly 30–40 minutes (unofficial). Or take a Bakuriani-bound marshrutka to Tsaghveri, then walk 2–4 km or take a local taxi. ### Where is Timotesubani Monastery? In Timotesubani village, 17–18 km southeast of Borjomi, in a wooded valley off the Bakuriani road at Tsaghveri. ### Is there an entrance fee? No, entry is free. Candles and donations are optional and paid in cash. ### What are the opening hours? There are no official hours. Visit in daylight; access is limited during the liturgy, usually on Sunday mornings. ### What is special about the frescoes? Almost the whole church was painted around 1205–1215, in Queen Tamar’s era. Highlights are Christ the Saviour by the door, a 20 m² Last Judgement and the Virgin on the altar arch. ### Who built Timotesubani Monastery? The main church was built on the initiative of Shalva of Akhaltsikhe, lord of Tori; an inscription names him as patron. The complex grew from the 11th to the 18th century. ### Is there a dress code? Yes. Cover shoulders and knees; women should wear a headscarf and skirt, men long trousers. ### How long do you need at Timotesubani? About 45 minutes on site and roughly 2 hours in total from Borjomi by taxi. ### Is Timotesubani Monastery worth visiting? Yes, if you care about medieval painting — nothing near Borjomi keeps a fresco cycle this complete. With only half a day, stay in town. ## How we checked The monastery has no official website, timetable or rules page, so hours, entry, dress code, transport and payment are marked “checking”. Sources disagree: the distance from Borjomi is 17 km (national parks site, Georgian Travel Guide), 18 km (Russian Wikipedia) or 11 km (Eurasia Travel, probably as the crow flies) — we show 17–18 km by road; from Tsaghveri it is 2 km or a 4 km walk, so we show 2–4 km. No source gives a taxi time; 30–40 minutes is unofficial. Most sources date the church to the turn of the 12th–13th century; Russian Wikipedia and Tonkosti give 1195–1215. The paintings are dated 1205–1215 by Advantour, Russian Wikipedia and Georgian Travel Guide, and “no later than the 1220s” on palaeographic grounds by E. Privalova (English Wikipedia, Courtauld). The material is rose brick in georgia.travel, Russian Wikipedia, Advantour and Courtauld, “pink stone” only in English Wikipedia; we show brick. Only Russian Wikipedia says services resumed in 1994, so we don’t state the year. A marshrutka timetable appears in a single guide and may be out of date, so we don’t quote it. Shalva’s burial here is tradition. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Timotesubani Monastery; Russian Wikipedia: Timotesubani (church); Wikidata Q1620674 - Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel): Timotesubani Monastery - Georgian national parks site (nationalparks.ge): Timotesubani — distance and the Tsaghveri turn-off - Advantour: Timotesubani Monastery near Borjomi - Georgian Travel Guide: Timotesubani Monastery; Timotesubani village - Courtauld Institute, Crossing Frontiers project: Timotesubani wall paintings - World Monuments Fund and Georgian Arts & Culture Center: fresco conservation 2000–2006 --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.