Laghami Church of the Transfiguration of Savior

Where is Laghami Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour Located?

The Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour, standing out for its fantastic ancient frescoes, is located in the village of Laghami in Mestia Municipality. 

The Architecture of the Church

The first story of the two-story basilica was built in the 9th century and is named after the Saint Martyr Barbara. It is a small, hall-type church with a plain interior and a flat altar. 

The second story was added to the church in the 13th and 14th centuries. It is a comparatively large hall-type structure with an extension to the west. 

The first story is constructed from broken cliff rocks, while the second story is constructed from well-hewn travertine cubes.

The Church’s Frescos

Inside the church, you will find various frescoes depicting scenes from both the Old and New Testaments, as well as depictions of saints on both stories of the church. The upper frescoes of Laghami Church are important examples of art made in Byzantine Style preserved from the so-called “Age of the Palaiologoi” (1262-1453 CE) in Svaneti. There are also secular portraits of the Kirkishlianis, who were local nobility.

On the northern façade of the exterior, there is a depiction of Adam and Eve’s expulsion from paradise. There is also a depiction of the hunt of Saint Eustace in the east. A 13th-century gold and silver metalwork icon of the Saviour is also kept in the church.

For a lover of religious architecture, art, and history, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour will be a real treat.