Didi Kldeisi, Tetritsqaro Municipality, Georgia, September 25, 2026
Photo: tetritskaro.gov.ge
A 10th-century church in the Georgian village of Didi Kldeisi has been restored and consecrated in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.
His Eminence Metropolitan Anania of Manglisi and Tetritsqaro celebrated the consecration on the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, after which he celebrated a festive Divine Liturgy with the clergy of the diocese, reports Global Orthodox.
Photo: tetritskaro.gov.ge
The church is considered a monument of medieval Georgian architecture, dated to the 10th and 11th centuries. It was originally built as a single-nave structure, with additional chambers later added to the south side and, still later, to the north.
Before the restoration, the church stood in a semi-ruined state, with the vault of the main chamber collapsed, sections of the walls crumbled, and the later additions damaged as well. The restoration work was carried out with support from Georgia’s Cartu Foundation.
Photo: tetritskaro.gov.ge
Fragments of decorative elements, stones bearing Old Georgian inscriptions, and medieval relief tombstones have survived in and around the church. The inscriptions on the church’s stones are of particular interest. Among the names mentioned is Kavtar Tbeli, a member of the Georgian nobility whom researchers link to events at the end of the 10th century, when a faction of Kartlian feudal lords opposed the establishment of Bagrat III’s rule over Kartli.
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