natural wonder
Katskhi Pillar
A 40 m limestone monolith crowned by a tiny medieval monastery, rising surreally from the Imereti hills near Chiatura: one of Georgia's strangest roadside wonders.
1 km · about 5 min drive
Imereti, Georgia · Asia
K’atskhi is worth a stop: 15 minutes from Chiatura, 1km from Katskhi Pillar.
K’atskhi is a town located in Imereti, Georgia. With a population of 2,000, it is an important destination in Asia.
On a road trip, K’atskhi sits in Georgia, where you drive on the right. It's in the Asia/Tbilisi time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add K’atskhi to your route.
The Katskhi Pillar (Georgian: კაცხის სვეტი, kac'xis svet'i) is a natural limestone monolith located at the village of Katskhi in western Georgian region of Imereti, near the town of Chiatura. It is approximately 40 metres (130 ft) high, and overlooks the small river valley of Katskhura, a right affluent of theRead more
Q'virila.
The rock, with visible church ruins on a top surface measuring c. 150 m2 (1,600 sq ft), has been venerated by locals as the Pillar of Life and a symbol of the True Cross, and has become surrounded by legends. It remained unclimbed by researchers and unsurveyed until 1944 and was more systematically studied from 1999 to 2009. These studies determined the ruins were of an early medieval hermitage dating from the 9th or 10th century. A Georgian inscription paleographically dated to the 13th century suggests that the hermitage was still extant at that time. Religious activity associated with the pillar was revived in the 1990s and the monastery building had been restored within the framework of a state-funded program by 2009.
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K’atskhi offers many attractions including tourist sites, museums, parks, and local restaurants. Explore famous landmarks, scenic roads, and natural wonders on our interactive map and plan your visit.
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K’atskhi is located in Imereti, Georgia, Asia. The coordinates are 42.2839 latitude, 43.2087 longitude.
K’atskhi has a population of approximately 2,000 people, making it a town in Georgia.
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4 notable places within an hour's drive.
natural wonder
A 40 m limestone monolith crowned by a tiny medieval monastery, rising surreally from the Imereti hills near Chiatura: one of Georgia's strangest roadside wonders.
1 km · about 5 min drive
photogenic
A Soviet manganese-mining town where aerial cableways strung above the Qvirila gorge in 1954 carried workers up the cliffs. The rusting originals were retired in 2021 and replaced by modern gondolas on the same lines.
6 km · about 10 min drive
photogenic
A Soviet spa town of grand radon-bath sanatoriums built between the 1950s and 70s, now mostly derelict with trees growing through colonnaded halls. Stalin's private bathhouse survives among them.
50 km · about 60 min drive
natural wonder
Georgia's showpiece cave, 11km long with six of 22 halls open on a 1,800m lit walkway past stalactite curtains and an underground river you can leave by boat.
51 km · about 60 min drive
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