Metekhi Temple
Along with other attractions of Tbilisi, the former residence of the Georgian kings, the Metekhi Temple, is of great interest. The monument is located at the very edge of the rocky bank of the Kura River and dates back to the 12th century. Here is the burial place of Queen Shushanika Ranskaya, the first Georgian martyr.
The first mention of the temple appears in historical sources of the 13th century. Over the centuries, the temple was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. It suffered most from the Mongol invasion.
At the same time, the first restoration work took place. In the 15th century it was destroyed again, this time by the Persians. In the XVI - XVII centuries. Georgian kings rebuilt Metekhi. Then it was restored in the middle of the 19th century, then the fortifications around the temple were dismantled and a prison was built in their place.
Today, all that remains of the temple is a small brick building, with a square plan, in the center of which rises a tower with a pointed roof. Not far from the Temple there is a bronze statue of the founder of Tbilisi - Vakhtang Gorgasale.