Berta Village Church

What Makes Berta Village Church Special?

Bathing in the fresh waters of the trout-filled basin supposedly cures various diseases. Many people who visit Berta Monastery believe this and call it the “Trout Cathedral.”

The original church stood from the 6th-7th centuries but became rather damaged. It was restored by the local Pontic Greeks in the 19th century, and in 2004, was consecrated and blessed by the catholicos-patriarch of Georgia. The current monastery was built on the foundations of the old church and granted the title of a stavropegial monastery in 2013. 

Berta Monastery is distinguished from other churches by its placement at the source of a spring so clear that it is like holy water. The spring rises from the ground, collects under the church, and then flows into a small pool in front of the church. Dozens of trout live in this pool.

Information about the healing trout is not found in historical sources.