Gergeti Trinity Church

If you only visit one site from Stepantsminda, make sure it’s this iconic church and belltower, perched up above the town at 2,170 metres (7,120 feet), close to the peaks of Mount Kazbek, with the Gergeti Glacier behind them.

Gergeti (also known as Tsminda Sameba) is a small but imposing church built in the 14th century from granite blocks that are stippled now with orange lichen like a rough patina. The stylized carvings of natural forms include clustered grapes. A handful of monks live in the modest monastery beneath the church and watch over the sacred buildings. There are wild horses and herdsmen on the flattish Alpine pastures that surround the church. Camping, climbing and horse riding are all possible with permission.