Posted: 11:27 am EDT
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Via US Embassy Tbilisi from Ambassador Richard Norland:

“Georgia is an amazing combination of rich cultural and religious traditions. Mary and I were in Batumi over the weekend, attending the Georgian Muslim Union’s International Forum on Religion and Peace. On our way home, we drove through Chiatura — a hardy mining community finding its way forward by drawing on a combination of Soviet-era infrastructure and modern investment including from the U.S. firm Georgian-American Alloys.

En route, we happened upon the 1000-year old church at Qatskhi, and the amazing chapel-on-a-rock nearby, where Father Maksim carries on a centuries-old tradition of residing alone atop the huge stone promontory. With Father Maksim’s blessing, my security guard and I scaled the iron ladder planted into the side of the rock. Wet with rain, steep and narrow, it was an unforgettable trip up — and down! At the top, the solitude of the small ancient chapel and the monk’s simple quarters was inspiring.”

Image via US Embassy Tbilisi/FB

Active link added above.  The Katskhi Pillar photo is by Levan Nioradze http://bit.ly/1bfkfDn Levan Nioradze’s Photoworks.  It is a natural limestone monolith located at the village of Katskhi in the western Georgian region of Imereti, near the town of Chiatura. It is approximately 40 metres (130 ft) high, and overlooks the small river valley of Katskhura. Read more here. Click here for more photos from US Embassy Tbilisi.

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