Bolnisi Sioni Cathedral
A stone basilica built between 478 and 493, the oldest church building still standing in Georgia. Inscriptions on its walls are among the oldest dated examples of Georgian writing.
- Where
- Bolnisi, Kvemo Kartli, Georgia
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 41.3889, 44.5125
Get the Bolnisi Sioni Cathedral stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Bolnisi Sioni Cathedral. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Kvemo Kartli volume with your photos and a note.
Near Bolnisi Sioni Cathedral
Dmanisi 26 km
A small town in the Mashavera river valley, about 93 km southwest of Tbilisi. It gives its name to the archaeological site nearby, where some of the oldest human fossils found outside Africa, about 1.8 million years old, were dug up.
Turtle Lake 40 km
A small lake in the wooded hills at the edge of Tbilisi, its name a straight translation of the Georgian Kus Tba. A cable car runs up to it from Vake Park, and locals come for walks and a swim on summer days.
Mtatsminda Park 41 km
An amusement park on top of Mount Mtatsminda, high above the city. A funicular climbs up to it, and its rides include a roller coaster, water slides and a big Ferris wheel set right at the edge of the mountain, with all of Tbilisi spread out below.
National Botanical Garden of Georgia 41 km
A garden of 161 hectares in the Tsavkisis-Tskali gorge, just behind Narikala fortress and the old town. Once the Tbilisi Botanical Garden, it holds more than 4,500 kinds of plants along paths that follow the stream up the valley.
Kartlis Deda 41 km
An aluminium figure of a woman standing on the Sololaki ridge above the old town, put up in 1958. She holds a bowl of wine in one hand for those who come as friends and a sword in the other for those who come as enemies.
Narikala Fortress 41 km
An ancient fortress of two walled sections on the steep ridge above Tbilisi and the Kura, between the sulphur baths and the botanical garden. Inside stands St Nicholas church, rebuilt in 1996 and 1997 on the site of a 13th century one lost to fire, its walls painted with scenes from the Bible and Georgian history.
Abanotubani 42 km
The old bathhouse quarter of Tbilisi, where low brick domes rise from the ground above hot sulphur springs. The city takes its name from this warm water, tbili meaning warm in Georgian, and people still come to soak in the baths.
Sioni Cathedral 42 km
A cathedral of the Dormition in the old town, named, in an old Georgian custom, after Mount Zion in Jerusalem. It keeps the grapevine cross said to have been carried by St Nino, who brought Christianity to Georgia.
More hidden gems in Kvemo Kartli
Questions
Where is Bolnisi Sioni Cathedral?
Bolnisi Sioni Cathedral is in Bolnisi, Kvemo Kartli, Georgia. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Dmanisi (26 km), Turtle Lake (40 km), Mtatsminda Park (41 km).
How do I get the Bolnisi Sioni Cathedral stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Bolnisi Sioni Cathedral and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Kvemo Kartli volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Bolnisi Sioni Cathedral before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Kvemo Kartli volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.