Researchers have different opinions regarding the construction date of Ubi Monastery. According to Professor S. Gorgadze, who visited the site in 1911, the foundation of the Ubi monastic complex was originally laid in the 9th century, a period marked by extensive construction of monastic and educational centres following Georgia’s liberation from Arab rule. This movement was led by the scholar and ecclesiastical figure Grigol Khandzteli. Art historian R. Shmerling’s research also supports this view, dating the main church of the Ubi monastic complex to the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries.

Did you know that…

1. Queen Tamar was very fond of the Ubi Monastic Complex and both completed and beautified it. This is confirmed by a popular folk poem: “I built the church of Ubi.”

2. For centuries, the monastery was a center for manuscript copying and housed schools of metalworking and icon painting.

3. The church features magnificent depictions of all the major Christian feasts: the Annunciation, Palm Sunday, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, Theophany, and others.

4. Among the frescoes of Ubi, the “Saint George of Ubi” and the “Mystical Supper” stand out.