GeorgiaOfficial tourism
Katskhi Monastery

Where monks pray on a stone needle

Katskhi Monastery

Why go

Katskhi Monastery clings to a 40-meter limestone monolith rising from emerald Imereti hills, a sight that has drawn ascetics since at least the 6th century. The current small church and monk's cell were rebuilt in the 1990s after Soviet-era abandonment, reviving a tradition of stylite-like solitude. Father Maxime Qavtaradze has lived atop the pillar since 1993, climbing daily by iron ladder to pray, read, and tend his garden. The monastery below supports this living hermitage. It is worth the journey for the raw improbability of the architecture, the sincerity of monastic life resumed, and the view from the base that makes human faith visible against gravity itself.

On the ground See

  • The Katskhi Pillar itself, with its tiny church of St. Maximus the Confessor and wooden cell perched impossibly aloft
  • The restored lower monastery complex with its 18th-century bell tower and church of the Dormition
  • Father Maxime's daily ascent or descent on the 25-meter iron ladder, usually around dawn or dusk

Practical Know before you go

Best visited April through October; from Chiatura or Katskhi village, a steep 20-minute climb on foot or 4WD track reaches the base, but the pillar summit is closed to visitors.

Last reviewed 25 August 2026 · reviewed quarterly