Sack of David Gareja Monastery
- When
- 1615
- Where
- David Gareja monastery complex
- Episodes
- 1
In 1615, Safavid forces under Shah Abbas I attacked the David Gareja monastery complex in Georgia. The assault resulted in the massacre of monks and the destruction of manuscripts and art. The site was later restored under Onopre Machutadze in 1690.
Episodes
Background and detail
Monastery Context. David Gareja is a rock-hewn Georgian Orthodox monastery complex in the Kakheti region of Eastern Georgia. Located on the slopes of Mount Gareja, it features hundreds of cells and churches hollowed from the rock face. The complex reflects the cultural prosperity of the medieval Kingdom of Georgia.
Restoration. Following the 1615 devastation, the monastery was resurrected under the leadership of Onopre Machutadze. He was appointed Father Superior of David Gareja in 1690, marking a significant recovery of the religious community after the earlier destruction.
People involved
- Shah Abbas I · Safavid Shah
- Onopre Machutadze · Father Superior
Sources
- David Gareji monastery complex Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-01
- Abbas the Great Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-07
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.