US embassy to fund conservation work at Georgian 6th century Jvari Monastery

The US Embassy will allocate $100,000 for the first stage of conservation work at Georgian 6th century Jvari monastery in Mtskheta.

Funding for the project was made available by a grant through the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), the embassy said. 

The project will be implemented by George Chubinashvili National Research Centre for Georgian Art History and Heritage Preservation, with the help of various interdisciplinary teams, the embassy reports. 

The project is intended to cover the first phase of the conservation cycle by carrying out a comprehensive study, to identify, classify, and map the extent of damage and deterioration of the facade.

 The Major Church Jvari of the Holy Cross (586-605 A.D.) is Jvari Monastery’s most important and valuable monument,” the US Embassy writes.

The Jvari Monastery complex is part of the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation has provided financial support to more than 1,000 cultural preservation projects in more than 125 countries through the contribution of nearly $74 million towards the preservation of cultural heritage worldwide, the embassy said.

In Georgia, the AFCP has funded 19 preservation projects worth nearly $1.5 million.