Pitareti Monastery

A 13th-century monastery hidden in a forested gorge in the Kvemo Kartli region of southern Georgia. Its domed church of stone is richly decorated with carved reliefs on the facades, a fine example of the ornament of the late golden age of Georgian architecture. Surrounded by a fortified wall with towers, it sits in a remote wooded setting reached by rough tracks. Long a monastic retreat, the monastery draws visitors who appreciate its elaborate carving and the peaceful isolation of its location among the hills.