Sapara Monastery is a Georgian Orthodox monastery located in the Akhaltsikhe District of Samtskhe-Javakheti region, Georgia.
I had a chance to visit this monastery at the end of September 2020 and capture really awesome drone photography / catching colors of the fall
Sapara monastery from a drone flight
It has existed from at least the 9th century, and has numbered among its monks many important figures in Georgian ecclesiastical history. At the end of the 13th century Sapara became a possession of the Jakeli family, whose leader, Sargis Jakeli, was adept at staying on good terms with the Mongols, which enabled Samtskhe to enjoy a peace unusual for the time. When he grew old, Sargis took monastic orders and changed his name to Saba. His son Beka built the largest of the 12 churches here, St Saba's Church, named after the saint whose name his father had adopted, one of the most architecturally important churches of its time. The 14th-century frescoes inside are of high quality
Sapara monastery complex in Georgia
From the end of the 16th century until the beginning of the 17th century the Sapara Monastery became empty due to the expansion of Ottoman Empire policy into Samtskhe and during this process the monastery's icons and other treasures were taken to more protected areas of Georgia
Set in a green forested canyon, the monastery is contrastingly distinguished by its pink and yellow stones. The ensemble is composed of church buildings and remnants of a palace and fortifications walls. The most important is the cross-in-square temple of St. Saba. Another significant church is St. Mary's Assumption Church.
The newly built road connecting Akhatsikhe to Sapara monastery
The road is very good and very spectacular, in total there is a distance of about 10km from the town of Akhaltsikhe.