Gelati Monastery


World Heritage Identification Number: 710

World Heritage since: 1994

Category: Cultural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇬🇪 Georgia

Continent: Asia

UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America

Map

Gelati Monastery: A Medieval Masterpiece in Western Georgia

The Gelati Monastery, located in the Imereti region of western Georgia, stands as a testament to the architectural prowess and cultural significance of medieval Georgia. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, this monumental complex offers a glimpse into the Golden Age of Georgia, a period marked by political strength, economic growth, and intellectual flourishing.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Founded in 1106 in the west of Georgia, the Monastery of Gelati is a masterpiece of the Golden Age of medieval Georgia, a period of political strength and economic growth between the 11th and 13th centuries. It is characterized by the facades of smoothly hewn large blocks, balanced proportions and blind arches for exterior decoration. The Gelati monastery, one of the largest medieval Orthodox monasteries, was also a centre of science and education and the Academy it housed was one of the most important centres of culture in ancient Georgia.

Encyclopedia Record: Gelati Monastery

Gelati is a medieval monastic complex near Kutaisi in the Imereti region of western Georgia. One of the first monasteries in Georgia, it was founded in 1106 by King David IV of Georgia as a monastic and educational center.

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Additional Site Details

Area: 4.2 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape

Coordinates: 42.2947222222 , 42.7683333333

Image

Image of Gelati Monastery

© Ihor Burliai, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

Upper Svaneti
72 km — Georgia
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Historical Monuments of Mtskheta
169 km — Georgia
Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin
209 km — Armenia
Archaeological Site of Ani
210 km — Türkiye

Country Information: Georgia

Flag of Georgia

Official Name: Georgia

Capital: Tbilisi

Continent: Asia

Population (2024): 3,673,850

Population (2023): 3,715,483

Population (2022): 3,712,502

Land Area: 69,490 sq km

Currency: lari (GEL)

Country Data Sources

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Portions of the page Gelati Monastery are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Gelati Monastery, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.

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