Anchiskhati Basilica and Gabriadze Clock Tower

Why is it significant?

Arrive on charming, pedestrianized Shavteli Street, where two architectural masterworks separated by fifteen centuries stand in delightful dialogue.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Arrive on charming, pedestrianized Shavteli Street, where two architectural masterworks separated by fifteen centuries stand in delightful dialogue. Anchiskhati Basilica of Saint Mary, erected in the early sixth century by King Dachi of Iberia, holds the venerable title of the oldest surviving church in Tbilisi. Directly across the cobblestone square rises the whimsical, leaning fairytale clock tower of the Gabriadze Marionette Theater, handcrafted in 2010 by celebrated Georgian artist and playwright Rezo Gabriadze.

Examine the Anchiskhati exterior, constructed from yellow tuff and river limestone with early Christian Chi-Rho reliefs above the rounded entrance arch. Then turn to the Gabriadze Clock Tower, constructed from hundreds of salvaged antique bricks and hand-painted ceramic tiles tilted at impossible angles. At the top of the hour, a mechanical angel emerges from a tiny shuttered balcony to strike a bronze bell, followed twice daily by a puppet performance titled The Circle of Life.

Anchiskhati took its name in the seventeenth century from the miraculous Icon of the Saviour from the Anchi Monastery, crafted in the tenth century by master metalsmith Beka Opizari and brought here for safekeeping from Ottoman invaders. Meanwhile, Rezo Gabriadze spent decades collecting architectural fragments from demolished buildings across Tbilisi to assemble his beloved theatrical tower. Gabriadze described his tilting masterpiece as an artistic plea to modern humans to slow their pace and rediscover the childlike wonder of storytelling.

The juxtaposition of sixth-century ecclesiastical solemnity and twenty-first-century theatrical whimsy creates an enchanting urban atmosphere found nowhere else on earth. Sycamore leaves rustle softly above cafe tables where visitors sip rich coffee while watching children delight in the mechanical angel's chime. This magical square captures the eternal creative spirit and deep cultural layering of Old Tbilisi.

Follow Shavteli Street north toward the historic fortress battlements along Baratashvili Avenue.