Khobi Monastery

The Relics Kept in the Monastery

Until the establishment of Soviet rule in Georgia, Khobi Monastery was the resting place of the Virgin Mary’s robe, kept in a silver repository. According to one version of the story, the robe was brought from Constantinople to Georgia in the 8th or 9th century, when the Byzantine emperor Leo III banned icons and began to hunt them down for destruction.

In addition to the Virgin Mary’s Robe, the relics of saints were kept in Khobi Monastery. Other artifacts such as David the Builder’s military cross, Queen Tamar’s pectoral cross, and more were kept here until 1923 - 1936, when the relics were transferred to Zugdidi Museum.

The Architecture of Khobi Monastery

The Khobi Monastery architectural complex contains a church, the residence of the Catholicos, a two-story building built over the threshold of the church, a wine cellar, a bell tower, a wall, and outside buildings. According to historical sources, Khobi Monastery was home to the ossuary of the Dadiani royal family.  Near the wall of the church the remains of an ancient cathedral, dating to around the 4th century, were found.

Going back farther, digs conducted in the yard of the church found the remains of a Colchian settlement from the 8th to 7th centuries BCE.

Over the course of its history, the monastery has been pillaged and raided numerous times, but it always managed to fulfill its purpose: protecting the invaluable relics stored within.