Life in the monastery

Hard work and masterclasses

Zeda Vardzia Monastery currently has around 20 members, whose daily life starts at six in the morning with dawn prayer announced by the ringing of the church bell. Afterwards there is a light meal and the inhabitants of the monastery then spend their day alternating between solemn prayer and work.

The fruits of their labor are diverse and range from hand grown produce to embroidery, candles and icon painting. Most of these products can be bought right here on site by the pilgrims and tourist groups that come from all over Georgia and even abroad.

But the members of Zeda Vardzia Monasterydo not only sell the fruits of their hard work, but also pass on their skills to visitors. Zeda Vardzia Monastery is famous for its masterclasses that teach the old Georgian technique of gold embroidery.

This technique, also simply called “goldwork”, is the art of applying metal threads or threads with metal leaf wound around a normal textile thread. The gold threads are then held onto the surface of a fabric by a second thread, which is usually made of fine silk.

Embroidery and gold embroidery in Georgia has a very long tradition and is particularly prized for the way light plays on the finished fabric. 

Picture credits: beyondarts GmbH

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.