Blood stones

Silent witnesses of a cruel past

Inside the church you can see a stone with reddish dots. The story goes that the red color on the stone comes from blood that was spilled by a massacre in the Green Monastery in the 16th century.

In around 1550, the Green Monastery was raided and destroyed by the soldiers of Persian shah Tahmasp I. The monks, who could not flee into the surrounding forests fast enough, were tortured and killed. Legend has it that many stones with the monks’ blood were thrown into the nearby river.

When people heard about these stones, they started to collect them and carried them home, hoping they would bring fortune and luck. But it seems that this was not always the case. There are stories about frightening events starting when people placed the supposedly blood stones in their homes.      

The monks of the Green Monastery believe that the stones carry the blood traces of their ancestors. And they consider it a miracle that the red dots on the stones do not disappear regardless of season or water temperature, since any paint fades over time when exposed to direct sunlight or a constant water current.

No matter if you believe in the legend of the blood stones or prefer a scientific approach like the inclusion of iron oxides inside the stones – the legendary stones in the river with their reddish dots reflecting the sunlight are always a beautiful sight!

Picture credits: SJDC

Project “Increased regional added value in the tourism sectors of Georgia by Digital Heritage Tourism Guides” was funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) with funds of Austrian Development Cooperation.