Anchiskhati Basilica

The oldest surviving church in Tbilisi, a three-nave stone basilica in the old town traditionally dated to the sixth century. It takes its name from a revered icon of the Saviour, the Anchi image, once kept here. Over the centuries the building was damaged and restored many times, with a brick bell tower added alongside it in the 17th century. Inside, fragments of old wall paintings survive amid a plain, austere interior. The church is closely linked with the preservation of traditional Georgian polyphonic chant.