Ikalto Monastery
According to the legend the monastery was found in 6th century by St. Zenon who was one of the “Assyrian Fathers”. It is located 7.5 km from town of Telavi in Kakheti region of Georgia.
The Monastery was one of the most significant cultural-scholastic centers of Kakheti as well as of the whole of Georgia. It had a high school and the academy and among of its outstanding graduates were philosophers and theologians. The academy lectured the following disciplines: theology, rhetoric, astronomy, philosophy, geography, geometry chanting, etc. The monastery complex comprises three churches: Gvtaeba, Kvelatsminda and Sameba. In the course of the centuries they were restored so many times that their appearance was changed dramatically. The Academy of Ikalto had functioned for a long time playing a significant role in the history of Georgian Enlightenment until in year of 1616 the Iranian invaders led by Shah Abbas II set it on fire.
