Lashtkhveri Archangel Church

Where is Lashtkhveri Archangel Church?

The church is located in Lashtkhveri Village in the Mestia Municipality, Svaneti Region. It was built in the 14th century and is a hall-type structure with an arched roof. Four windows provide light to the church. The façades are sparse, decorated only with beam lintels over the windows. Above the western window you will find a depiction of the cross. However, the façades and the interior are painted. The church is situated on a two-layer pedestal constructed from well-hewn blocks of travertine.

The Frescos of Lashtkhveri Archangel Church

The main painting in the church is of the Archangel. On the western façade is a scene from Amiran-Darejaniani, an 11th-12th-century Georgian heroic epic. Along with church scenes, the painting on national subjects in the interior is one of the markers of the uniqueness of the church.

On the western façade there is a composition showing the plea of Virgin Mary, on the eastern façade there is a scene of Saint Eustace’s hunt, and on the southern façade there are holy warriors on horseback. You will also find inscriptions in the ancient Georgian Asomtavruli script. The light from one of the windows illuminates the figure of St. George on horseback.

The paintings in the church use many colors. Here you will find a masterful blend of light blue, gray, brown, brick-red, and golden yellow.