Katskhi Pillar

About

The awe-inspiring Katskhi Pillar has long been revered by locals as the Pillar of Life, surrounded by captivating legends of spirituality. Featuring various structures including a church dedicated to Maximus the Confessor, a burial vault, three hermit cells, a wine cellar, and a curtain wall, the pillar is a remarkable feat of construction, perched 40 meters high in the sky. Rising abruptly from the hills of Central Georgia, the Katskhi Pillar has been a site of worship since ancient times and a place of seclusion for the Stylites, a group of early Christian ascetics who sought spiritual closeness to God through solitary lives atop narrow pillars. Visitors may climb to the first level of the limestone pillar to replicate the journey of Stylites, and witness a 6th-century cross that sheds light on the rich history of this sacred site.