St. Nino's Convent

After a five-minute drive from Georgia's largest lake, Lake Paravani, you will reach St. Nino’s Convent in the village of Poka.

Since the foundation of the nunnery in 1992 by Orthodox Church head Patriarch Ilia II., the nuns’ attention has is not only been on prayer, but significantly on educational and agricultural activities, restoring and reviving Javakheti’s past. And despite their small numbers they have managed to carry out this task with great diligence and enthusiasm.

The convent deals intensively with traditional agriculture, such as grain and crop growing, field and greenhouse management and cow farming. Many products such as cheese or cookies can be bought in the convent’s shop.

As for education, the nuns have opened, among other things, a Sunday school for the local Armenian population in both Georgian and English, thus providing significant assistance to the younger generation in learning and passing their school and national exams.

Another big task was rebuilding the church in the center of the nunnery that dates back to the 11th century and was a ruin, when the Convent was opened. The nuns have restored the building, which is now one of the main landmarks of the village of Poka. Inside the church you can find unique inscriptions and beautiful gold, mosaic-style icons made by the nuns themselves.

Life in the Convent is based on the monastic lifestyle following the Typikon, the traditional liturgical book, regulating life in monasteries. Each day starts at 2 a.m. with a four-hour morning prayer, followed by a light meal, and ends at 10 p.m., and is divided between prayer, work and leisure time.

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.