Anchiskhati Basilica

Top choice in Tbilisi


Tbilisi’s oldest surviving church is perhaps its loveliest. Built by King Gorgasali’s son Dachi in the 6th century, it's a three-nave basilica whose weathered frescoes and walls of big stone blocks emphatically bespeak its age. The church's name comes from the icon of Anchi Cathedral in Klarjeti (now in Turkey), which was brought here in the 17th century and can be found in Tbilisi’s Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Art.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Tbilisi attractions

1. Clock Tower

0.04 MILES

One of old Tbilisi's most emblematic structures is also one of its newest, a higgledy-piggledy clock tower, built by puppet master Rezo Gabriadze during a…

3. Concert Hall & Exhibition Centre

0.19 MILES

The two large tubular metallic structures at the north end of Rike Park were commissioned from Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas during the…

4. Bridge of Peace

0.19 MILES

The Bridge of Peace, a rather incongruously modern glass-and-steel footbridge over the Mtkvari with a totally unnecessary roof, was designed by Italian…

5. Public Service Hall

0.21 MILES

Nicknamed the Umbrellas, this building by Italian Massimiliano Fuksas is the biggest of a dozen Public Service Halls opened in new, contemporary buildings…

6. Rike Park

0.22 MILES

This green expanse along the eastern riverbank, with its winding paths, pools and fountains, is joined to the west side of the Mtkvari by the Bridge of…

7. Presidential Palace

0.23 MILES

Georgia’s presidential palace, which is not open to visitors, was a Saakashvili-era prestige project that opened in 2009. Its ultraclassical portico is…

8. Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Art

0.24 MILES

This museum contains a vast wealth of icons, crosses and jewellery from all over Georgia. Sadly, it can only be entered with a guide (English available,…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "georgia/tbilisi/attractions/anchiskhati-basilica/a/poi-sig/1487140/359327",
      "destination": "Tbilisi",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Georgia",
      "city": "Tbilisi",
      "position": "superzone"
    }