Description of the attraction
Sioni (Assumption Cathedral) is one of the most famous architectural structures in the Old City of Tbilisi. The first temple on this site was built around the VI century. At the same time, it still remains a mystery how this ancient temple actually looked. According to legend, the first temple on this site was erected during the reign of the king of Iberia Vakhtang I Gorgasal.
But the built temple did not stand for long, as we would like. Several centuries later it was completely destroyed by the Arabs. It was then that an Islamic state was formed in Eastern Georgia, the capital of which was the city of Tbilisi. The Arab invasion lasted from 736 to 1122, until the time when David IV the Builder, the most famous ruler of Georgia, entered the city with a victorious procession. Having freed Tbilisi from the invaders, the Georgian ruler first of all ordered the restoration of the destroyed temple. At the same time, the old church building was not restored, but a new one was erected - a very simple and at the same time incredibly majestic building.
The troubles of the temple did not stop there. In 1236 it was destroyed by the Khorezmians who attacked Georgia. During a peaceful life, the building of the church was rebuilt again, but it stood only for several centuries, until the Shah Ishmael attacked Georgia. The temple suffered the same sad fate in the 17th century. - it was destroyed by Shah Abbas. The cathedral was rebuilt again. After that there was a strong earthquake, and then Khan Aga-Muhamed attacked the country, and the temple again got it. Despite all this, the church began to rebuild. As a result, it turned out that the modern appearance of Sioni (Assumption Cathedral) is the creation of different eras and different people who restored it from the ruins after each destruction. The general construction of the cathedral has been preserved from the XI-XII century.
Sioni has a very modest and restrained appearance. Its architectural style differs from classical medieval Georgian temples and, most likely, resembles austere religious buildings, which lack decorative elements. The only decoration of the cathedral is a high tower topped with a pointed hipped dome, located above the central part of the temple. The main relic of the temple is the cross of St. Nina, the Christian enlightener of Georgia.
