Adventures Begin

In the 4th century Christianity spread to Georgia and became the country’s main religion. Georgia was conquered three centuries later by the Arabs and then in the 11th century by the Seljuk Turks. During that time Georgia had already begun the process of consolidating its feudal principalities and by the 12th century they were united under David the Builder into a single Georgian state. A united Georgia was strong enough to expel the Turks, regain independence and conquer large parts of neighboringArmenia. The birth of a newly independent Georgia inspired a resurgence of national spirit, which was reflected in the period’s burst of cultural development, especially in architecture. Georgia’s largest cathedrals were built during that time, including Bagrati Church in Kutaisi (1003), the temple of Sveti-Tskhoveli in Mskheta (1010-1029), Alaverdi temple (first quarter of the 11th century) and Samtavisi Church (1030). David the Builder also founded one of Georgia’s most influential monasteries, Gelati (1106-1125), near Kutaisi. The complex included a magnificent main temple and an academy building. In the 13th century Georgia was once again conquered, this time by the Mongols. Later, it fell under the reign of both the Persian and Ottoman Empires. It remained a colony until the mid-18th century when it once again declared itself a kingdom. In 1801 it became a protectorate of the Russian Empire. The following 200 years of Georgia’s history merges with Russia’s as it was turned into a province of the Tsar’s empire and then later into a Soviet republic. Georgia enjoyed a brief window of independence following the 1917 Revolution and the fall of the tsar. However, this was short lived and in 1922 the country fell into the hands of Soviet powers and, together with Armenia and Azerbaijan, became the Transcaucasia Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, which joined the USSR in 1936. In 1991 Georgia declared independence from the USSR and a year later received UN membership.