In the suburbs of the city of Kutaisi, there is one of the most sacred places for residents of the city – the Motsameta Monastery. This is a small building with a red tile roof located on the top of the mountain, which means that a trip there will be full of beautiful views.

The monastery of princes David and Constantine (another name for Motsameta monastery) appeared in the 11th century on the site of a church that was destroyed to the ground by the Arabs. The construction of this monastery is connected with an ancient sad legend about two brothers.

In the 8th century, Georgia was attacked by the Arabs. The revolt against them was led by Prince David and his brother Constantine. They were captured and severely tortured. The Arabs starved them and forced them to renounce their faith, but David and Constantine did not betray Orthodoxy. For this, the brave soldiers were drowned in the river, which still flows near the Motsameta Monastery.

A few days later, the brothers’ bodies were found by locals and buried next to the wreckage of the church. A few centuries later, the Georgian King Bagrat saw the glow in this place and ordered to build the monastery in honor of the two brothers.

David and Constantine were canonized. Their incorruptible relics are still kept in the monastery.

The Motsameta Monastery is quite small but very colorful. Its high arched windows, bas-reliefs, and cone-shaped domes on round towers amaze with their beauty. This historical complex also has a courtyard and monastic cells. And the view from here is truly magical. Worthy of the Holy martyrs. The monastery stands on a mountain and is surrounded by green plants and the Rioni River at the bottom.

Even though Motsameta Monastery is not the main shrine of Kutaisi as there is another monastery a few kilometers away, a religious holiday Motsamatoba is celebrated here in memory of princes David and Konstantin every year, on October 15.