According to the Georgian scholar Prince Teimuraz, the site of the current Bichvinta Cathedral was once home to the principal place of worship of the Iberians, known as the Temple of Boch. The interior of the cathedral was once covered in frescoes, but in the second half of the 19th century, it was entirely plastered over, whitewashed, and repainted—destroying the original artworks. In 1966, the cathedral underwent large-scale restoration. Today, Bichvinta Cathedral is no longer an active religious site. The area is under Russian occupation, and the cathedral is currently used as a concert hall.

Did you know that...

1. Bichvinta Cathedral is built in an elongated cross-in-square plan with a dome, featuring a western narthex and three projecting apses to the east. The presence of a narthex is rare in Georgian churches, while projecting apses are characteristic of early-period Georgian churches and later examples along the Black Sea coast of western Georgia (though occasionally found in the east as well).

2. In the southwest corner of the narthex is a small, apsed burial chapel, whose remaining wall paintings date to the second half of the 16th century.

3. During the 1966 restoration, fragments of the cathedral’s original frescoes were discovered in the interior, dating to the same period as the burial chapel’s decoration.