Georgia’s ancient cave city Vardzia reaching final phase of restoration
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Georgia’s ancient cave city Vardzia is reaching the final phase of restoration to bring the historic monument back to life.
The 12-13th Century cave city in southern Georgia is being renovated under an international programme that’s being co-financed by the Government of Georgia and UK-based financing company Jackson Fund.
The restoration project’s leader and UNESCO expert Claudio Margotini and fresco painter David Park have monitored the ongoing works at Vardzia since the project began last year.
Ancient fresco line the walls of the cave city Vardzia
The main goal of the restoration works was to give new life to the ancient monument and restore its damaged sections while maintaining its original style and appearance.
For its survival, work has been carried out in several directions. This includes:
- Reinforcement and conservation of the rock;
- Archaeological studies of the monument;
- Improvement of infrastructure for locals and tourists and
- Diagnostic of wall paintings.
Restoration work of the Vardzia cave complex begun last year by the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation and the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection.
New archaeological research is also being conducted, through which two new tiers and ten caves have been revealed.
At the newly excavated site, archaeologists also found glazed pottery, bowls and pots dating back to the 1300s. Ancient remains of storage and wine-making qvevri dating back to the 10th Century were also discovered.
Vardzia is a cave monastery complex that is located in the valley of River Mtkvari, situated about 70km south of Borjomi. Experts said this was an outstanding monument that showcased medieval Georgian architecture.
Tomorrow director general of the Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation Nikoloz Antidze will visit the site with Pete Brown and Amanda Taylor from the Jackson Fund.
Restoration professionals are involved in works to clean unique wall paintings at Georgia’s Vardzia cave complex that were damaged in a fire at the 12th century monument last year.
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