The Metekhi Church stands on a high cliff above the Kura River—a place that, from the earliest centuries of Tbilisi’s history, was inseparably connected with Georgian statehood.
According to tradition, it was here in the V century that the palace of King Vakhtang Gorgasali (ca. 440–502), the founder of the city, once stood.
The first church may have appeared already under his son, King Dachi (ca. 522–534), although the exact date of its construction is unknown.
The present structure of the church dates mainly to the XIII century and was erected during the reign of Demetre II the Self-Sacrificing (1259–1289).
Its architecture is characteristic of Georgia’s mature medieval tradition: a tall dome set on a cylindrical drum, and façades distinguished by their strict, almost ascetic appearance.
In the XVII century, under King Vakhtang V (1618–1675), the church fell into neglect and was turned into a gunpowder magazine—one of the many forced measures taken by the king, who, pressured by Persia, was compelled to convert to Islam.
The French traveler Jean Chardin (1643–1717), who visited Tbilisi in 1672, describes Metekhi as a half-ruined and abandoned church:
“The Georgians had another very beautiful church located at the southern end of the city; however, several years ago the prince [King Vakhtang V] turned it into a gunpowder store, for it was no longer suitable for services: part of it had been destroyed by lightning long before. The prince ordered it to be rebuilt as a warehouse.”
The revival of the church began in the XVIII century.
In 1748, King Erekle II (1720–1798), having regained the Metekhi fortress after, and ordered the restoration of the church.
A new drum for the dome and several sections of the walls, built of brick, were constructed at that time.
In the XIX century, the area around Metekhi was turned into a military complex.
Part of the city wall was dismantled to make space for new barracks and administrative buildings, while the former monastic structures were used as prisons and service quarters.
During the Soviet period, the church again faced the threat of destruction and for a long time was used for purposes unrelated to worship.
In 1937 the authorities even ordered the shrine to be demolished.
The artist Dmitry Shevardnadze (1885–1937) was appointed to oversee the demolition.
He categorically refused to destroy the church and was arrested and executed for his resistance.
His sacrifice saved the ancient monument.
In the 1980s the building was transferred to the Georgian Orthodox Church and restored, once again becoming one of Tbilisi’s most beautiful landmarks.