Tsalenjikha Cathedral

The Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Saviour in Tsalenjikha is one of the most important medieval churches in Samegrelo, yet few foreign travellers find it. Built and enlarged between the 12th and 14th centuries, it stands in the small town of Tsalenjikha, northeast of Zugdidi. Its fame rests on the wall paintings inside, commissioned by Vameq I Dadiani, ruler of Mingrelia in the late 14th century, and painted by Cyrus Emanuel Eugenicus, an artist from Constantinople. Work by a named Byzantine painter of this period is rare in Georgia, which makes the church special for anyone interested in medieval art.

The paintings are in the refined late Byzantine style of the imperial capital, unusual in a provincial Georgian church. They have faded over the centuries, so take your time and let your eyes adjust to the dim interior; a small torch helps to pick out detail. The church is still in use, so visit quietly. Tsalenjikha makes an easy detour from Zugdidi, and it can be combined with the Enguri Dam near Jvari on the way to Svaneti.

The cathedral was built and enlarged between the 12th and 14th centuries. In the late 14th century Vameq I Dadiani, who ruled Mingrelia from 1384 to 1396 and held high office at the Georgian royal court, invited the painter Cyrus Emanuel Eugenicus from Constantinople to decorate it. His frescoes are among the finest late Byzantine paintings to survive in Georgia.