“He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”Matthew 28:6
When Easter night dawns in Georgia, the churches fill to the last place. The country, Christian since the 4th century, has preserved the celebration of Holy Week in great authenticity: day by day, special services recall the last days of Jesus, his suffering, his burial and his resurrection.
This journey leads right into the heart of it. In Mtskheta you experience the Good Friday liturgy of the Deposition from the Cross, watch a Georgian family dye the Easter eggs red and, at midnight, join in the Easter service at Sameba Cathedral in Tbilisi. On Easter Sunday itself the way leads into the semi-desert to the cave monastery of David Gareja, where hermits lived in seclusion for centuries.
In between you get to know the country: the old town of Tbilisi with Sioni Cathedral and the grapevine cross of St Nino, her tomb at Bodbe Monastery, the little town of Sighnaghi, the cave town of Uplistsikhe and the fortified church of Ananuri. As Orthodox Easter is a movable feast and often falls weeks apart from the Western date, the travel date is set each year according to the Orthodox calendar.
The grapevine cross of St Nino, kept here, recalls Jesus' word about the vine and the branches.
According to Georgian tradition, the seamless coat of Christ, for which the soldiers cast lots beneath the cross, rests here.
The Good Friday liturgy of the Deposition follows the account of Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus, who laid the body of Jesus in the tomb.
In the Easter night the angel's message at the empty tomb rings out: He is not here: for he is risen.
Tip: bring your own Bible – at each place we open the relevant passage together.
Bible quotations: King James Version.
Home → Tbilisi
You set off for Tbilisi; you book the flight yourself, and on request we will enquire about suitable connections for you. According to the programme, you reach the Georgian capital in the early hours of the following day. If you wish, you can use the travel time to prepare yourself with the Passion accounts of the Gospels for Holy Week, which you will observe with the Georgian Church in the coming days.
Metekhi Church → Narikala → Sioni → Anchiskhati → History Museum
After the early arrival there is time to rest; after a late breakfast comes a walking tour of the old town, whose monuments lie close together. You see the 13th-century Metekhi Church above the Mtkvari River, Narikala Fortress, the synagogue and Sioni Cathedral with the grapevine cross of St Nino, as well as Anchiskhati Church, the oldest in the city, and the treasury of the History Museum. In the evening, Georgian food in a traditional restaurant; the sulphur baths are optional.
Tbilisi → Bodbe Monastery → Sighnaghi → Tbilisi
Today your destination is Kakheti, Georgia's wine country. At the convent of Bodbe, whose origins go back to the 4th to 8th centuries, lies the tomb of St Nino, who brought the Gospel to Georgia. Then you stroll through picturesque Sighnaghi and visit its ethnographic museum. On a farm with a 300-year-old wine cellar you learn how wine has matured since ancient times in buried clay jars, the qvevri, and can taste it. In the evening, return to Tbilisi.
Tbilisi → Mtskheta → Mukhrani → Tbilisi
Good Friday begins with a Georgian family who dye the Easter eggs red in the traditional way. Then you go to Mtskheta, the ancient capital and spiritual centre of the country, with the 6th-century Jvari Church and the 11th-century Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. Here you take part in the liturgy of the Deposition from the Cross, with which the Church commemorates the death and burial of Jesus. In the afternoon you visit the Mukhrani winery, founded in the 19th century, with its vineyards, cellars and stables, and taste its wines. Then free time.
Tbilisi → Uplistsikhe → Ananuri → Tbilisi
On the trail of the ancient Silk Road you reach the cave town of Uplistsikhe, whose beginnings go back to the first millennium BC; streets, a theatre and palaces can still be clearly made out in the rock. Along the Georgian Military Road you continue to the 17th-century fortified church of Ananuri, beautifully situated by the reservoir and rich in reliefs. Back in Tbilisi, at midnight you join in the Easter liturgy at Sameba Cathedral – the moment towards which the whole week leads.
Tbilisi → David Gareja → Tbilisi
On Easter Day the drive leads into the semi-desert to the cave monastery of David Gareja. After visiting the Lavra monastery you walk for about two hours to the Udabno monastery with its unique cave paintings and wide view into Azerbaijan. In this remote place you sense how hermits lived here in prayer and renunciation – and how the Easter message reaches even the desert. In the evening you return to Tbilisi.
Tbilisi → Airport
Early in the morning the transfer takes you to Tbilisi Airport, from where you fly home independently. With you travels the Easter greeting heard everywhere in these days: “Christ is risen!” – “He is risen indeed!” Anyone who has joined in saying it during the Easter night at Sameba will not soon forget it.
The tour price depends on dates, group size and room allocation. You will receive your personal offer – free of charge and without obligation.
Enquire →⛔ No shopping stops: carpet, jewellery or leather showrooms are not part of this tour.
The price is on request: you will receive a personal offer for your date and number of participants – free and without obligation.
No, you book your flight to Tbilisi yourself. On request we will enquire about suitable connections for you; transfers from and to the airport are included.
The tour takes place during Orthodox Holy Week. Because Orthodox Easter is a movable feast and can differ from the Western date by up to five weeks, we will give you the exact dates for the respective year in your offer.
In Georgian Orthodox churches women need a headscarf, and in some also a wrap skirt, which is usually provided at the entrance. Shorts are not permitted in the churches.
Citizens of the EU do not require a visa for Georgia. Please check the entry requirements currently in force before you travel.
You walk for about two hours from the Lavra monastery to the Udabno monastery. Comfortable shoes and protection from sun and rain are recommended.
Easter in Georgia – Holy Week with the Orthodox Church
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