# Shio-Mgvime Monastery, Mtskheta > Shio-Mgvime (Shiomghvime, “Shio’s cave”) is a working 6th-century men’s monastery in a narrow limestone gorge of the Kura, 10–12 km from Mtskheta. Entry is free and there are no published hours — come in daylight. Allow about an hour, plus roughly 20 minutes each way by car, as no buses go there. Access was restricted after a 2023 rockfall, so check before you set off. Web page: https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/shio-mgvime-monastery - City: [Mtskheta](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta), Georgia - YesGo score: 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free - Hours: Daylight; unofficially until 19:00, some churches may be closed during services - Access: Restricted after the rockfall of 27 August 2023; we found no official notice that the restriction was lifted - Getting there: Taxi or car only from Mtskheta, ≈ 20 min; dead-end road, no scheduled transport - Dress code: Women: skirt and headscarf (usually lent at the gate); men: long trousers - Time on site: ≈ 1 hour - Food: No café at the monastery — eat in Mtskheta - Coordinates: 41.86236, 44.64025 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **6th century** — founded by St Shio, one of the Thirteen Assyrian (Syrian) Fathers (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Georgian National Tourism Administration) - **560–580** — St John the Baptist church built — the oldest building in the complex (source: English Wikipedia; Courtauld Institute, Crossing Frontiers project) - **11–12 m** — depth of the cave where Shio spent his last years and was buried (source: Courtauld Institute gives 11 m; Georgian National Tourism Administration gives 12 m) - **Mgvime** — is Georgian for “cave” — the name means “Shio’s cave” (source: English Wikipedia; Georgian Holidays) - **1103–1123** — David the Builder raised the domed Dormition (Upper) Church (source: Courtauld Institute; Georgian National Tourism Administration) - **1123** — David IV made it a royal domain and gave it a monastic rule (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **1614–1616** — sacked by the armies of Shah Abbas I (source: English Wikipedia; Courtauld Institute) - **1678** — Givi Amilakhvari rebuilt the Upper Church as a basilica (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Courtauld Institute) - **1733** — bell tower built — its ground floor is still the only way in (source: Courtauld Institute; Russian Wikipedia) - **≈ 2 km** — medieval aqueduct from Skhaltba village, recorded in a chronicle of 1202 (source: English Wikipedia; Georgian Holidays) - **4 slabs** — of the 11th-century stone altar screen, now in the State Museum of Fine Arts, Tbilisi (source: Courtauld Institute; English Wikipedia) - **13th century** — frescoes in the hilltop Church of the Ascension of the Cross — the oldest murals here (source: Courtauld Institute; English Wikipedia (12th-century chapel with murals)) > **Is Shio-Mgvime open after the rockfall?** On 27 August 2023 part of the cliff above the monastery collapsed. Nobody was hurt and the churches were undamaged, but the road was restricted, and the regional authorities and the monastery then closed the site to tourists and pilgrims pending a geological report. We found no official notice that this was lifted, yet tour companies are selling trips here in 2026. Ask your driver or guide before you go. ## Is Shio-Mgvime worth visiting? Yes, if you have already seen [Svetitskhoveli](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/svetitskhoveli-cathedral) and [Jvari](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/jvari-monastery) and want somewhere quieter. Shio-Mgvime is a monastery that grew out of a hermit’s cave: churches pressed against a sheer cliff, monks’ cells cut into the gorge walls and forest all around. Crowds are small, and the 6th-century cave is something Mtskheta itself doesn’t have. Skip it if you only have half a day for Mtskheta. With the drive and the wait it takes around two hours, and the reward is atmosphere rather than one big view. And don’t go blind: until you know access is open, you risk a wasted trip to a closed road. ## How to get to Shio-Mgvime Monastery 1. Get to Mtskheta: minibuses leave Tbilisi’s Didube bus station, about 30 minutes. Get off on the main street, a 5-minute walk from Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. 2. Taxis and tour cars wait by the cathedral’s west gate on Arsukidze Street, or order one in the Bolt app, which takes foreign Visa and Mastercard cards. 3. The road heads west along the Kura and winds through forest into the gorge — about 20 minutes, 10–12 km. There is a signpost in central Mtskheta. 4. Ask the driver to wait about an hour: it is a dead-end road and there are almost no taxis to flag down for the ride back. 5. On foot it is only for keen walkers: from Dzegvi village across the bridge over the Kura, then about 4 km uphill (unofficial). ## Entrance fee and opening hours There is **no entrance fee** — this is a working monastery, not a museum. Candles and donations are up to you; bring Georgian lari in cash, because small purchases at churches in Georgia are usually cash only. No official opening hours are published. Visitors are generally let in during daylight, and unofficial sources say until 19:00. Services take priority, so a church may be closed or full for a while — be patient and keep quiet. > **Dress code: skirt, headscarf, covered shoulders** Shio-Mgvime is a working men’s monastery. Women need a knee-length skirt and a headscarf; men need long trousers; everyone covers their shoulders, and men remove hats inside the churches. If you’re not dressed for it, skirts and scarves are usually lent at the gate. No photos during services. ## What to see at Shio-Mgvime - **Church of St John the Baptist** (560–580) — the oldest building: cross-shaped, with an octagonal drum, its lower part built on carved bedrock. - **St Shio’s cave** — 11–12 m deep, entered from an 11th-century chapel built over it; Shio’s grave lies at its centre. - **Dormition (Upper) Church** — founded by David the Builder, rebuilt as a three-aisled basilica after the 1614–1616 sack. - **The 1733 bell tower** — you walk through its ground floor, the only entrance to the complex. - **The refectory** — its oldest part is 12th-century, with an 11th-century relief cross on the south façade. - **Church of the Ascension of the Cross** on the hill outside the walls — a small 12th-century brick church with 13th-century frescoes. - **Cave cells** — dozens of caves in the gorge walls where monks lived and hid from raids. - By the gate, a spring known in Georgia as the “Spring of Tears”. ## A short history In the 6th century the monk **Shio** came to Georgia with the other Assyrian Fathers, spent several years on the mountain at [Zedazeni](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/zedazeni-monastery), then withdrew into this remote gorge. He lived his last years alone in a deep cave, which gave the monastery its name; disciples gathered around him and built the church of St John the Baptist while he was still alive. In the 12th century **David the Builder** made Shio-Mgvime a royal domain and added a large domed church. It was sacked by Shah Abbas, then by Ottoman and Lezgian raiders, and each time the Amilakhvari princes rebuilt it. The Soviets closed it; today monks live here again. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Checked with my driver or guide that the site is open - [ ] Skirt and headscarf (women), long trousers (men) - [ ] Driver agreed to wait about an hour - [ ] Cash in lari for candles and donations - [ ] Comfortable shoes — stone paths and steps - [ ] Water and a snack — no café on site ## Shio-Mgvime vs Jvari vs Svetitskhoveli | | Shio-Mgvime | Jvari | Svetitskhoveli | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Cave monastery in a gorge | Hilltop church above the river confluence | Mtskheta’s main cathedral | | Built | 6th–12th century | Late 6th century | 11th century | | Getting there | Taxi, ≈ 20 min | Taxi up the hill | Walk, town centre | | Time on site | ≈ 1 h | 30–45 min | 45–60 min | | Crowds | Few | Busy | Busy | On a first visit, start with Svetitskhoveli and Jvari. Shio-Mgvime works as the third stop of the day, or for anyone after silence. ## Mtskheta’s churches and monasteries compared Every church and monastery in Mtskheta rated by YesGo. - [Svetitskhoveli Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/svetitskhoveli-cathedral) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free - [Jvari Monastery](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/jvari-monastery) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free - [Antiokia Church](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/antiokia-church) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 15 min · Free - [Samtavro Monastery](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/samtavro-monastery) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free, donations welcome - [Zedazeni Monastery](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/zedazeni-monastery) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Shio-Mgvime Monastery](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/shio-mgvime-monastery) — YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Ananuri Fortress](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/ananuri-fortress) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free ## Mtskheta and Shio-Mgvime in a day Jvari above town in the morning, the cathedral and Samtavro in the centre at midday, then a taxi into the gorge to Shio’s cave. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers. 1. [Jvari Monastery](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/jvari-monastery) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free 2. [Svetitskhoveli Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/svetitskhoveli-cathedral) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free 3. [Samtavro Monastery](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/samtavro-monastery) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free, donations welcome 4. [Shio-Mgvime Monastery](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/shio-mgvime-monastery) — YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free ## Good to know You will see the name spelt Shio-Mgvime, Shiomgvime and Shiomghvime — it is the same place. It lies in Mtskheta municipality but outside the town, 10–12 km by road from the cathedral. The carved altar screen showing scenes from Shio’s life is not here but in the State Museum of Fine Arts in Tbilisi. ## Tips - Go in the afternoon after the cathedral and [Samtavro](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/samtavro-monastery): central Mtskheta is busiest then, while the gorge stays quiet. - Don’t trust your map app blindly near the gorge — follow the road signs for the last stretch. - Walk up to the Church of the Ascension of the Cross on the hill for a view of the whole monastery against the cliff. - Agree the waiting time and the fare with the driver before you leave Mtskheta. - Curious where Shio came from? Add Zedazeni, where he lived before the cave. ## Questions ### Is Shio-Mgvime Monastery open now? Access was restricted after a rockfall in August 2023. We found no official notice that it was lifted, though tours still include it — check with your driver or guide first. ### How do I get to Shio-Mgvime from Mtskheta? By taxi or car, about 20 minutes and 10–12 km. There is no bus and the road is a dead end, so ask the driver to wait. ### How do I get to Shio-Mgvime from Tbilisi? Minibus from Didube bus station to Mtskheta (about 30 minutes), then a taxi. Or take a Bolt or a private tour from Tbilisi; it is roughly 30 km. ### Is there an entrance fee? No, entry is free. Candles and donations are optional — bring cash in lari. ### What are the opening hours? No official hours are published. Visit in daylight; unofficial sources say visitors are let in until 19:00. ### What should I wear? Women: knee-length skirt and headscarf; men: long trousers; shoulders covered for everyone. Skirts and scarves are usually lent at the gate. ### How long do you need at Shio-Mgvime? About an hour for the churches, the cave and a walk around, plus about 40 minutes for the round trip from Mtskheta. ### What is the cave at Shio-Mgvime? St Shio’s cave, 11–12 m deep, where the hermit spent his last years and was buried. You enter it from an 11th-century chapel. ### Can I pay by card? The Bolt app takes foreign Visa and Mastercard cards, but at the monastery candles and donations are cash, so carry some lari. ## How we checked The monastery has no official website, and nobody officially publishes its hours or fees, so those rows are marked “verifying”. Free entry is stated by Georgian Holidays and other travel guides. Access: after the rockfall of 27 August 2023 the road was restricted, and the Mtskheta-Mtianeti authorities later said the ban on tourists and pilgrims stays until the geologists report; we found no news of it being lifted, but tour operators are selling trips that include Shio-Mgvime in 2026, so we advise checking locally. Distances from Mtskheta range from 10 to 19 km depending on the source and the starting point; we use 10–12 km. The cave depth is given as 11 m and 12 m — we show both. Most sources date the Upper Church rebuilding to 1678 (Advantour in places says 1668); we use 1678. We don’t repeat the claim of 2,000 monks by the end of the 6th century, which even a pilgrim guide calls doubtful. Card payment: Bolt accepts foreign Visa and Mastercard; cash for candles is our own practical advice. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Shio-Mgvime Monastery; Russian Wikipedia: Шиомгвиме; Wikidata Q2236298 - Courtauld Institute of Art, Crossing Frontiers project: Shiomghvime Monastery (after M. Janjalia-Bulia, Mtskheta, Tbilisi, 2000) - Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel): Monastery of Shio Mgvime - Georgian Holidays: Shio-Mgvime Monastery; Advantour: Shio-Mgvime - Azbuka Palomnika (Pilgrim’s Guide): Shio-Mgvime men’s monastery — relics and access roads - 360.ru (after Sputnik Georgia), 27.08.2023; 1TV Georgia; CBW (Caucasus Business Week) — on the rockfall and access restrictions --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.