Anchiskhati Basilica (Anchiskhati)

Anchiskhati Basilica stands on Ioane Shavteli Lane in Old Tbilisi, Georgia, and is generally described as the city's oldest surviving church. Its origins are traced to the 6th century, when King Dachi Ujarmeli is credited with founding a church on the site. The present name comes from the icon of the Saviour, the Anchiskhati, which was carried to Tbilisi from the Anchi monastery in the historic Tao-Klarjeti region, in what is now Turkey, in 1675, when the church became its home. The building has been repaired many times after fires, invasions and neglect, and the exterior seen today largely reflects rebuilding in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is a modest three-nave basilica of brick and stone with a pitched roof and a slim bell tower standing beside it, a layout typical of early Georgian church architecture. The interior is dim and intimate, with icons, candle stands and worn stone floors rather than large frescoes. During the Soviet period the church was shut for worship and used as a workshop and a place for crafts and music, before it was handed back to the Georgian Orthodox Church. It is also associated with the Anchiskhati Choir, a well-known ensemble of Georgian polyphonic sacred singing that performs here, and services allow visitors to hear traditional chant. The basilica sits only a short walk from Sioni Cathedral and Shavteli Street, and it forms a quiet stop among the cafes, craft shops and wine bars of the Old Town. Restoration has been incremental and conservative, preserving the basilica form rather than rebuilding lost elements. As an active parish church it is a place of worship first, and visitors are expected to dress and behave accordingly.