The eleventh-century monastery at Gelati, 11 kilometers northeast of Kutaisi, Georgia, was founded by King David the Builder in 1106; he is buried on the grounds. The Cathedral of the Virgin, completed in 1125, received additions in the 13th and 14th centuries. The pride of the church and one of Georgia's greatest works of art is the extraordinary mosaic composed of 2.5 million pieces of stone, seen in the cupola above the altar area. Created in the 1130's, it features the Virgin and Child with the Archangels Michael and Gabriel.
Gelati was ravaged by the Ottoman Turks in 1510 and by the Lezghians in 1579, but subsequently restored. Gelati lost all royal patronage when Russia annexed Georgia in 1801, but pilgrims continued to visit. In 1922 the Communists closed the monastery and pilgrimages were forbidden; it was re-consecrated in 1988 and has again become a favorite place for weddings and a pilgrimage destination.
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