Nekresi

On the eastern side of the Alazani River Valley, near Shilda, Nekresi is a cluster of buildings with pre-Christian origins. Its importance as a religious site dates from the 4th century when King Mirian III reinforced its defensive walls and his grandson, Trdat, built the first Christian church here. It’s one of the oldest Christian buildings in Georgia. From here Mirian waged his holy war to establish Christianity as the state religion. Two centuries later, Nekresi was chosen by the missionary Abibos, one of the Thirteen Assyrian Fathers, as a stronghold against the Persian effort to convert the population to Zoroastrianism.