US Embassy Allocates $506,000 for Second Phase of Jvari Monastery Conservation

The US Embassy in Tbilisi revealed on Wednesday that it had designated a budget of $506,000 to support the conservation of damaged stones on the facades of the main church at Jvari Monastery.  

US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan, and Cultural Attaché Christopher Anderson, personally visited Jvari Monastery in Mtskheta town to mark the funding of the conservation works. 

Funding for the project was made available by a grant through the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP).

In 2019, the Embassy allocated $100,000 for the first phase of the project. The first phase of the conservation cycle envisaged carrying out a comprehensive study to identify, classify, and map the extent of damage and deterioration of the façade.

In 2020, the George Chubinashvili National Research Center received $506,000 in funding from the US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation for the conservation and strengthening of the Monastery. This phase covers 30 months (September 30, 2020 – March 31, 2023).

The main church 'Jvari of the Holy Cross' (586-605 A.D.) is Jvari Monastery’s most important and valuable monument. The Jvari Monastery complex is part of the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation has provided financial support to more than 1000 cultural preservation projects in more than 125 countries through the contribution of nearly $74 million towards the preservation of cultural heritage worldwide. In Georgia, the AFCP has funded 19 preservation projects worth nearly $1,5 million.

By Ana Dumbadze