Motsameta Monastery, Kutaisi

Motsameta opening hours and entrance fee

Motsameta is free to enter and open every day in daylight. There is no official timetable and unofficial sources differ: the Imereti tourism office lists 9:00–18:00, Tonkosti 10:00–18:00 and TripLinkHub roughly 8:00–20:00. Aim for 10:00–17:00 and you will not be turned away.

Candles and donations are optional and cash-only, in lari. Bolt rides can be paid by card in the app, but marshrutkas and street taxis take cash. Sunday mornings are for the liturgy, and on 15 October, the feast of Motsametoba, the church is packed with pilgrims.

Is Motsameta Monastery worth visiting?

Yes, if you are going to Gelati anyway. Motsameta is on the same road, the detour is 10–15 minutes by taxi, and the view from its cliff over the green river is one of the best around Kutaisi. Together the two monasteries make an easy half-day trip.

The honest catch: it is small, and there are no medieval frescoes — the interior was repainted during restoration. If you only have a couple of hours and care most about art history, choose Gelati. If you like quiet places, living traditions and gorge scenery, do not skip it.

Come on a weekday morning, when tour groups have not yet arrived and the queue for the passage under the relics is short.

What to see at Motsameta

• The reliquary of Saints David and Constantine, on a raised platform to the right of the church entrance.
• The wish passage beneath it — low, about a metre high. Tradition says that if you pass under the relics three times with a pure wish, it will come true. Expect to duck low or crawl.
• The viewpoint by the gate, looking down the wooded gorge to the bend of the river — the classic Motsameta shot.
• The bell tower beside the church; its date is unknown, but it frames the gorge nicely in photos.
• The cobbled lane down to the gate through Colchic forest — at its best in autumn colour.
• The church interior — the paintings are modern, from the restoration, so do not expect old frescoes.

The legend of Motsameta

In the first half of the 8th century an Arab army under Marwan ibn Muhammad, known in Georgia as Marwan the Deaf, invaded the country. Two brothers of the Mkheidze family, David and Constantine, lords of Argveti in Upper Imereti, led the resistance and were captured. Offered their lives in exchange for converting to Islam, they refused; they were tortured, executed and thrown into the river.

The story goes that the water turned red, which gave the river its name, Tskaltsitela — “red water”. Locals recovered the bodies and, told by a voice to carry them east until sunrise, reached a burnt-out church on this rock at dawn and buried them there.

The Georgian Church venerates the brothers as great martyrs. In the 11th century King Bagrat IV founded a church and monastery on the site. In 1923 the Soviet authorities closed it and moved the relics to a museum in Kutaisi, but the public outcry was such that they were soon returned. The name Motsameta means “place of the martyrs”.

Motsameta vs Gelati vs Bagrati

Do Motsameta and Gelati together with one taxi for half a day, and walk to Bagrati from the centre in the morning or at sunset.

Churches and monasteries around Kutaisi

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Nearby — add to your day

38

Gelati Monastery

Kutaisi, Georgia

1 h · Free · 27 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Gelati Monastery

How to do it right

• By taxi, start at Gelati and stop at Motsameta on the way back — it is closer to town.
• On foot it works the other way round: from Gelati to Motsameta is about an hour, mostly downhill along the road towards Kutaisi.
• Use Bolt rather than a street taxi — the price is fixed in the app and you can pay by card.
• The best photo is from the viewpoint by the gate, with the bell tower, the cliff and the river bend in one frame.
• Autumn is the prettiest season: the gorge turns gold and red, and 15 October brings the Motsametoba feast.

Questions