Bana Cathedral

The ruins of a large early medieval cathedral of unusual circular plan, located in the historic Tao region near the present southern borderlands of Georgia. Built around the seventh century, it was one of the grandest churches of its era, its tiered rotunda encircled by an arcade. Reduced to a stump by warfare and neglect, the remains still convey the ambition of its design. The site is important in the study of Caucasian architecture, and its remote setting amid mountain scenery adds to the sense of a lost monument.