Fire Extinguished at Martvili Monastery

Six fire-fighting brigades have managed to localize a fire in Martvili Monastery.

Georgia’s Emergency Management Service (EMS) reports that 200 m2 of the building was burnt and no casualties have been reported.

The exact cause of the fire is unknown, but it is thought the fire broke out in the monastery from a candle.

Martvili Monastery is a Georgian monastic complex located in the village of Martvili in the Martvili District of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Province of Georgia. It sits upon the highest hill in the vicinity and was of strategic importance in the past.

The main Martvili-Chkondidi Cathedral of the complex was reconstructed in the 10th century after invasions that destroyed the previous church. Preserved in the church are frescoes of the 14th to 17th centuries.

By Thea Morrison