Bagrati Cathedral

Bagrati Cathedral crowns the Ukimerioni hill above the old town of Kutaisi and stands as one of the most significant monuments of medieval Georgian architecture. Founded around 1003 by King Bagrat III and dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin, it served as the spiritual centerpiece of a newly unified Georgian kingdom — its construction a deliberate architectural statement of Bagratid royal power. Ottoman forces blew up much of the structure in 1691, leaving it a dramatic partial ruin for over three centuries. A controversial early-21st-century reconstruction that added a new dome and roof led UNESCO to revoke the cathedral's World Heritage status in 2010, sparking ongoing debate about restoration ethics. The stone terrace surrounding the cathedral offers open views across Kutaisi's rooftops and the Rioni valley below.