{{Short description|Georgian Orthodox monastery near Akhmeta, Georgia}} {{Infobox religious building | building_name = Alaverdi Monastery <br/> ალავერდის მონასტერი | infobox_width = | image = Alaverdi Monastery, Kakheti, Georgia.jpg | image_size = 275 px | alt = | caption = Alaverdi Monastery | map_type = Georgia#Georgia Kakheti | map_size = 275 | location = 25&nbsp;km from Akhmeta, Kakheti Province (Mkhare), Georgia | coordinates = {{coord|42.032497|45.377108|display=inline,title}} | religious_affiliation = Georgian Orthodox Church | rite = | region = South Caucasus | state = | province = | territory = | prefecture = | sector = | district = | cercle = | municipality = | consecration_year = | status = | functional_status = | heritage_designation = | leadership = | website = | architecture = yes | architect = | architecture_type = | architecture_style = Georgian; Monastery | founded_by = Monk Joseph (Yoseb, Amba) Alaverdeli | funded_by = Kvirike III of Kakheti | general_contractor = | facade_direction = | groundbreaking = | year_completed = 6th-11th centuries | construction_cost = | specifications = | capacity = | length = | width = | width_nave = | height_max = | dome_quantity = | dome_height_outer = | dome_height_inner = | dome_dia_outer = | dome_dia_inner = | minaret_quantity = | minaret_height = | spire_quantity = | spire_height = | materials = | nrhp = | added = | refnum = | designated = }}

'''Alaverdi Monastery''' ({{lang-ka|ალავერდის მონასტერი|tr}}) is a Georgian Eastern Orthodox monastery located {{convert|25|km|abbr=on}} from Akhmeta, in the Kakheti region of Eastern Georgia. While parts of the monastery date back to 6th century, the present day Cathedral of Saint George was built in the 11th century by Kvirike III of Kakheti, replacing an older church of St. George. It is considered one of the four Great Cathedrals of the Georgian Orthodox world.<ref>[https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5221/ Alaverdi Cathedral] UNESCO World Heritage Centre</ref>

==History== The monastery was founded by the Assyrian monk Joseph (Yoseb, Amba) Alaverdeli, who came from Antioch and settled in Alaverdi, then a small village and former pagan religious center dedicated to the Moon. At a height of over {{convert|55|m|abbr=on}}, Alaverdi Cathedral was the tallest religious building in Georgia, until the construction of the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi, which was consecrated in 2004. However its overall size is smaller than the cathedral of Svetitskhoveli in Mtskheta. The monastery is the focus of the annual religious celebration Alaverdoba. Situated in the heart of the world's oldest wine region, the monks also make their own wine, known as Alaverdi Monastery Cellar.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.iamwine.it/en/producers/18-alaverdi-monastery-cellar |title=I Am Wine: Alaverdi Monastery Cellar |access-date=2013-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516023308/http://iamwine.it/en/producers/18-alaverdi-monastery-cellar |archive-date=2012-05-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The cellar has been dated to between the 10th and 12th centuries.<ref>{{Cite book|title=ალავერდის მონასტერი (The Alaverdi Monastery)|publisher=Monastery of Saint John the Baptist|isbn=978-9941-0-2564-8|location=Chakiduli Tkhemebi, Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia}}</ref>

== Burials == * Ketevan of Kakheti * Teimuraz I of Kakheti

== See also ==

* Kvetera Church * Matani monastery * Bakhtrioni

==References==

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category}} {{Georgian Churches}}

Category:Buildings and structures in Kakheti Category:Christian monasteries in Georgia (country) Category:Georgian Orthodox monasteries Category:World Heritage Tentative List