Vendors cause temporary closure of Jvari Monastery in Mtskheta
Tourists and the parish have been complaining today that the Jvari Monastery was closed. Photo: Shermazana.
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Parish and tourists have not been allowed today to enter the Jvari Monastery in the town of Mtskheta today.
The Georgian Patriarchate says that the reason for the temporary measure is “disorder created by vendors” at the entrance to the historic place.
Jvari, which is a sixth-century monastery located in the old capital of Georgia, Mtskheta, is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage, visited by numerous tourists and Church officials from all round Georgia on a daily basis.
The spokesperson of the Georgian Patriarchate Andria Jachmaidze stated that the monastery was closed on the order of its head Konstantine Jincharauli, as the situation around the site had become “unbearable”.
The monastery is of the highest importance and is frequently visited by high-level delegations, tourists and the parish. It is natural that the head of the monastery wants to see order near the church,” Jaghmaidze said.
Vendors say that monks want to build their cells around the church where merchants have their wares.
The Jvari Monastery, which was closed on Monday by its clerics “due to the insanitary conditions and disorder” created by vendors near the site, has reopened to visitors.
Clerics of the sixth-century Georgian Jvari Monastery say in a statement that the closure of the site for the parish and tourists was a “radical step” by them to attract public attention.
After a meeting with UNESCO in 2016, a number of Georgia’s most treasured historical sites and monuments were placed under protection in case of armed conflict.
Some of Georgia's most cherished monuments will be protected in case of conflict after a special meeting of UNESCO granted three sites in the country's ancient capital Mtskheta the status of 'enhanced protection'.
Historical monuments of Georgia's ancient capital Mtskheta are no longer recognised as being in danger of deterioration by UNESCO.
Mtskheta, one of the oldest towns in Georgia, has been named among the 20 most beautiful UNESCO World Heritage sites by the US-based online publication Condé Nast Traveler.
The Georgian government is expected to postpone the date of obligatory use of cash registers at open markets, considering the economic complications created by the coronavirus pandemic.