Zarzma Monastery

The Monastery of the Transfiguration

Please note:
When we visited Zarzma Monastery in May 2022, extensive renovations were underway. There was scaffolding both around the church and inside, and the renovation work will last at least until the end of 2022.

Zarzma Monastery of the Transfiguration is located some 30 km west of Akhaltsikhe near the city of Adigeni right by the main road ს 8 (S 8) that connects Batumi and Akhaltsikhe. The monastery complex consists of several buildings dominated by a domed church and one of the largest belfries in Georgia. The term “transfiguration" derives from the New Testament and describes the event, where Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant in glory upon a mountain.

According to legend Zarzma Monastery was established by the monk Serapion Zarzmeli (which means “of Zarzma”) in the 8th century. Serapion’s life is described in the hagiographic work “Life and Work of Blessed and Blissful Father of Ours, Serapion” by his pupil Basil Zarzmeli.

Basil of Zarzma not only states that Serapion was supported by local governor and nobleman Giorgi Chorchaneli, who donated a substantial piece of land as a construction site for Zarzma Monastery. There is even an inscription at Zarzma Monastery, mentioning Giorgi Chorchaneli as “Duke of Dukes”.

He also describes the local population as being very much opposed to Serapion’s plans in the beginning. It is said that only when the mountain rocks broke apart and a flood almost washed away the entire village did the locals back down. And that is, according to Basil, from where Zarzma Monastery derives its name: the word “Zarzma” can be translated as “horror” or “fear”, because the local people were “ineffably scared and frightened” by the mysterious flood.  

However, the original church, constructed by an architect named Garbaneli, has not survived. The current building was erected in the beginning of the 14th century.     

At that time the powerful and princely Jaqeli family ruled over the region, namely Beka I, successor to his father Sargis I, who became the first sovereign Prince of Samtskhe in 1268. And it was most presumably Beka I, who had the current church builtbefore his death in 1308.

And it is the Jaqeli family whose portraits form part of the 16th century wall paintings inside Zarzma Monastery Church: Sargis I, founder of the family, his son Beka I, his grandson Sargis II and his great grandson Qvarqvare I.

But these are not the oldest historical remains that can be found in Zarzma Monastery. In the entrance arch of one of the chapels there is a 10th century inscription that tells of military aid rendered by Georgian nobles under King David III to the Byzantine emperor Basil II, when rebellious general Bardas Skleros started a wide-scale Asian uprising against the emperor in 979.  

When the Ottomansinvaded the region in the late 16th century, Zarma Monastery, like most other local Christian buildings, was emptied, abandoned and left to decay. But most of the monastery’s assets, such as icons, crosses, and other ecclesiastical materials, were sent to the Western Georgian region of Guria and kept safe in Shemokmedi Monastery, which was the seat of an Orthodox Georgian bishop during the 15th and 16th centuries.

What remained of Zarzma Monastery suffered significant destruction over the coming centuries, including the murals inside Zarzma Monastery Church. In the early 20th century attempts at reconstruction were made, but unfortunately some of the unique architectural and stylistic features were lost in the process.

Nevertheless, the monastery complex with its church and chapel, the bell tower and remnants of smaller buildings, is an important complex with some prominent features of Georgian architecture, especially in the proportions of the buildings and the decoration of the façades.

Today Zarzma Monastery is again home to a small, but lively monastic community with 11 monks currently living and working here.  

How to get there:
Zarzma Monastery of the Transfiguration is located some 30km west of Akhaltsikhe near the city of Adigeni right by the main road ს 8 (S 8) that connects Batumi and Akhaltsikhe. Taxi drive from Adigeni is app. 15 minutes (5 GEL), from Akhaltsikhe app. 50 minutes (30 GEL). 

Distances from major cities:
Akhaltsikhke - Zarzma Monastery: 38km | Adigeni - Zarzma Monastery: 8km

Opening hours:
Zarzma Monastery can be visited at any time during the week and on weekends.

Admission fee:
There is no admission fee.

Important things to know:
Zarzma Monastera lies at app. 1400m above sea level, so be shure to bring warm clothes in spring and fall and sturdy shoes at all times. There is a small shop for water, local goods and handicraft.

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.