Katskhi Pillar: a church on a rock and how to get there

The Katskhi Pillar is one of the most unusual places in Georgia: a sheer limestone monolith about 40 metres high, with a tiny church and monastic buildings on its flat top. From below it looks as though the church is literally floating above the green hills of Imereti.

Why the pillar is famous

The Katskhi Pillar is a natural rock outcrop near Chiatura in Imereti. Its summit is a platform of about 150 square metres; on it stand the Church of Maximus the Confessor, several cells, a wine cellar and an enclosing wall. This is an ancient stylite hermitage: stylite monks, seeking solitude at an inaccessible height, lived here as early as the 9th and 10th centuries, and traces of their presence can be followed right up to the 13th century.

Over time the way up to the summit was lost, and the pillar stayed inaccessible for centuries. The first documented ascent took place only in 1944. And in modern times the rock became inhabited again: in 1995 the monk Maxime Qavtaradze climbed to the top and spent about twenty years there. Between 2005 and 2009 the monastery on the pillar was restored, and the Church of Simeon the Stylite was built at its foot.

What to see

Climbing the pillar itself is closed to visitors, so people view it from below - and that is enough to leave an impression: a sheer rock with a church on top looks almost unreal. At the foot there is a monastery courtyard and a church, while the best views of the pillar open up from the surrounding slopes and the road. Bring a longer lens to make out the buildings on top.

What to keep in mind when visiting

This is a working monastery, so modest dress and behaviour are expected on a visit. The road to the pillar is partly unpaved. There is little in the way of facilities, so allow about half an hour for a look around and bring water in hot weather. You cannot climb the rock - and you shouldn’t try.

Nearby

Katskhi lies in Imereti, and a handy base for the trip is Kutaisi - the same starting point for Prometheus Cave and the Sataplia nature reserve. Getting around the region is easier by car - for how to rent one, see the car hire section; for more places, see the things to see section.