ვანის ქვაბები

Vanis Kvabebi - Vani's Caves

Useful Information

Location:	Near Aspindza. (41.382910, 43.306887)
Open:	No restrictions. [2010]
Fee:	free. [2010]
Classification:	Cave House Cave Church
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Vanis Kvabebi.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

8th century	monastery founded.
1204	defensive wall built.

Description

ვანის ქვაბები (Vanis Kvabebi, Vani's Caves) is a cave monastery south of Aspindza and on the other side of the valley from the cave monastery Vardzia. There are horizontal bands of softer rock in the cliff face which were used by the monks to build their cave homes and churches. Two churches are preserved, one of them contains poems of the story The Knight in the Tiger's Skin. During the 15th century this monastery was a retreat for women, who wrote this text with ink onto the wall.