Jakismani

By Tika Bujiashvili

Jakismani Monastery complex is situated 20 km away from Vale in Turkey-Georgia bordering zone. In order to reach your destination, you have to pass checkpoint. The territory was abandoned in 1944. The nearest settlement is a village Tskaltbila, 9 km away from Jakismani. There is no road in fact for cars, but for only trucks.

Jakismani (Jakisubani) monastery complex is one of the remarkable architectural monuments, though there are no historical records about it. There is no a single document about Jakismani (Jayisubani) settlement in the Georgian state archive. The only information about the village is preserved in Gurjistani Vilayeti.

As there are no historical sources about this unique architectural complex, Jakismani is not mentioned in Georgian Chronicles either.

Near the monastery, in Potskhvera gorge, there is a middle-aged castle-JaKi castle, which belonged to Jakelis. Supposedly, Jakismani comes from Jakisubani and is typical for the area, which historically belonged to pheodals –Jakelebi.

The place was found several years ago. In 2008 when monks first came here, the church was partly covered with earth. The monks decided to restore the ruins. The main church had six other churches which make a complex. It is said that it was Grigol Khandzteli’s style, which means that the church might be built by Grigol Khandzteli or his apprentices. The main church was consecrated as Easter church. In 2013 the monastery started functioning. Today two monks and one novice live at the monastery. They have built additional buildings from wood, for example, Tone for baking bread. They don’t have cattle but grow vegetables.

Weather may change often. One moment it is sunny and another it is rainy… On the way To Jakismani, on the right side, you will notice a bridge. It is called Griboedov bridge, dated to XIX century…