Sioni Cathedral

Sioni Cathedral of the Dormition stands on Sioni Street in the middle of Old Tbilisi, a short walk from the river. For centuries it was the city's main cathedral and the seat of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, until Sameba was consecrated in 2004. Its most venerated treasure is the grapevine cross that, by tradition, St Nino made and carried when she brought Christianity to Georgia in the 4th century. It is kept in a reliquary to the left of the altar. The modest stone exterior hides a dim, atmospheric interior covered in murals.

Sioni is an active cathedral and busy on church holidays. Inside, look for the murals painted in 1850–1860 by the Russian artist Grigory Gagarin, which replaced lost medieval frescoes. Two bell towers stand nearby: a three-storey medieval one in the courtyard and a Neoclassical one across the street, completed in 1812. Sioni is easy to combine with Anchiskhati Basilica, about 5–10 minutes' walk north, and with a stroll to the baths.

According to medieval annals, Vakhtang Gorgasali began a church here in the 5th century; a new building was started around 575 and completed around 639. Arab invaders destroyed it, and David the Builder rebuilt it in 1112. On the orders of Jalal al-Din the dome was wrecked in 1226, and the cathedral was damaged again by Timur in 1386 and by Persian armies in 1522 and 1795, each time being repaired. The cupola and walls were rebuilt in 1710.