Kveshi Fortress

Written by Tika Bujiashvili

Kveshi fortress is located in Bolnisi region, on the left bank of the river Mashavera near the village. It is built on a high cliff.

In the end of XII century Yury Bogolyubsky, known as George the Rus, the spouse of Queen Tamar, had a successful battle near Gandza with Msakhurtukhutsesi (“Lord High Chamberlain”) Vardan Dadian.  After the battle Queen tamar gave Kveshi fortress to Vardan Dadiani and his son, which became his residence. In 1191 Vardan Dadian supported George the Rus and was involved in a rebellion against Tamar the queen.  As a result, Vardan lost the office of Lord High Chamberlain and the fief of Kveshi, which was then conferred upon the queen’s loyal noble Ivane Mkhargrdzeli. In 1468 Bagrat VI bought the fortress from Torelis. The redemption certificate shows the political importance of the fortress by the time. In XVI-XVII cc Kveshi Fortress still was an important fortress of Orbelis. The territory was populated by Georgians. By the end of XVIII kvemo Kartli was devastated. As a result the fortress was abandoned. In XIX Russians ruled the fortress. In 1812 during the rebellion of Aleksandre Batonishvili the army of Tormasov, the Chief of the Caucasus, was fortified in Kveshi fortress.

Georgian scientist L. Muskhelishvili writes about the fortress: “The fortress seems to be repaired several times and I think, there aren’t any survivors from old times, except a 1.50 m wide staircase.”

The Fortress is built with mortared stones. It has only one entrance which is naturally curved in rock. On the top of the entrance door Archetrabs had a Georgian inscription which is now deleted.

There are remains of citadels of the towers and the traces of other facilities. There are small water reservoirs cut in the wall outside of citadel.

In the fortress there is a small church of St. Nikoloz. The church was restored several times so the date of building the church is unknown. The last time the church was restored in the XVIII century.