The Chapel of Saint Nino (Makvlovani)

The Samtavro Monastery complex in Mtskheta is often referred to as the cradle of Christianity in Georgia—and with good reason. Seventeen centuries ago, on the very site of the present-day monastery, lived and preached Saint Nino, whose deeds inspired the ruler of Iberia, the ancient Georgian kingdom, to proclaim Christianity the official religion of the land. Along the banks of the Kura River, three of Georgia’s earliest Christian churches were erected. Centuries of conflict—with Arabs and Mongols, Turks and Persians—along with earthquakes and the passage of time, destroyed two of them. But one still stands. The Chapel of Saint Nino, also known as Makvlovani, is part of the Samtavro complex and is considered the oldest Christian church in Georgia.

To countless Christian believers, the figure of Saint Nino holds profound spiritual significance. Her name is linked not only to the Christianization of Georgia, but also to that of Armenia. Churches erected in her honor can be found not only in those two countries, but also in Russia, Kazakhstan, the United States, and France. Yet the first temples dedicated to her were built in Mtskheta.

Nino was born around 280 AD in the region of Cappadocia, a Black Sea province of the Roman Empire. At the time, the vast empire was teetering on the brink of collapse. Emperor Diocletian, who came to power shortly after Nino’s birth, undertook every possible effort to hold it together. A key pillar of his strategy was the unyielding consolidation of imperial power, including in the spiritual realm. The new faith, Christianity, was seen as a threat to national unity, and Diocletian strove to eradicate it. In 303 AD, during his reign, the persecution of Christians began.

Together with other faithful, Nino fled northward, first finding refuge in Armenia and then continuing her journey. According to certain accounts, Iberia had already piqued her interest—her mentor had told her that one of the Roman soldiers present at Christ’s crucifixion had received His robe by lot. Since the soldier was Iberian, the teacher suggested that the sacred relic might be found in his homeland.

So Nino resolved to journey to Mtskheta, combining her search for the Robe of Christ with the mission of spreading the Gospel.

Her arrival in the Iberian capital aroused no suspicion from the authorities. She lived quietly outside the city walls in the humble home of the royal gardener, situated above a deep ravine that protected the city from the north. It was through this gardener that Queen Nana, wife of King Mirian III, came to know of Nino. As legend has it, Nino miraculously healed the queen from a grave illness. This wonder transformed the pagan queen’s view of Christianity.

King Mirian, however, was not pleased. He threatened to exile both his wife and Nino should Nana continue to favor the foreign religion. But then fate—or the divine—intervened once more. According to tradition, while hunting and contemplating how best to punish his wife, Mirian was suddenly engulfed in darkness. Terrified, he cried out to his pagan gods for aid, but to no avail. In desperation, he prayed to the God Nino had spoken of—and the darkness lifted.

This sign, impossible to ignore, forced the king to reconsider. In 324 AD, under his rule, Georgia embraced Christianity as its state religion. Saint Nino’s mission had been fulfilled. She continued her work, preaching in other parts of Iberia.

King Mirian ordered the construction of three churches. Two of them were built on the sites of the present-day Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Samtavro Monastery. The third—a modest chapel in honor of Saint Nino—was erected near Samtavro, among wild blackberry thickets. According to legend, this was where Nino lived in a simple shelter of her own making after leaving the gardener’s house. Here, people would gather to hear her sermons. In Georgian, the word for blackberry is makvali, from which the site earned its name: Makvlovani, meaning “the place of blackberries.”

Historians remain divided over whether the churches were built during Nino’s lifetime or after her passing. Yet most favor the former. The exact date of her death is unknown; the earliest estimate is 335 AD, a decade after Georgia’s conversion to Christianity. At that time, the fledgling religion needed solid foundations—quite literally—to withstand the familiar pull of native pagan practices. Thus, it seems likely that the first Christian churches in Georgia, including Makvlovani, were built while Saint Nino still lived.

In the 4th century, the area lay beyond the city’s fortified walls and was vulnerable. For protection, the Samtavro Church and the Chapel of Saint Nino were enclosed by a small defensive wall. But during the Arab invasions, these fortifications proved insufficient. In 736 AD, Mtskheta—then the former capital—was burned and reduced to ruins. Of the three early churches, only Makvlovani partially survived.

The restoration of this chapel, along with other sacred sites in Georgia, began toward the end of the Middle Ages. This occurred after the last of the invaders, the conqueror Tamerlane, agreed to a peace treaty with the Georgian king. Georgia’s struggle for independence shifted from war to diplomacy, and a period of rebuilding commenced.

The so-called “Blackberry Grove” has undergone several reconstructions, but it has retained the fundamental elements and contours characteristic of early Georgian ecclesiastical architecture. Instead of the later-popular basilica form, the chapel was built in the dome-cross style. A low, octagonal tower is crowned with a pointed, rounded dome. The central pillar rises above a wider foundation shaped like a cross: two short transepts, a rectangular apse, and a doorway opposite it.

The stone structure is devoid of elaborate ornamentation—and of windows. There is only a single opening in the central tower above the entrance, more akin in appearance to a loophole than a window. This stark, almost ascetic simplicity evokes comparisons to a military outpost. Such was the life of Saint Nino: marked by hardship, self-denial, and a refusal of worldly comforts in pursuit of a higher spiritual mission. It is no coincidence that she is venerated as Equal-to-the-Apostles—her life mirroring the devotion and purpose of the apostles themselves.

Due to its small size, Makvlovani cannot accommodate large groups, but visitors may still offer prayers nearby—beside the chapel, where Samtavro’s nuns continue to tend the blackberry grove, or beneath the juniper tree that has stretched its branches protectively over the shrine for decades.

Behind the modest Chapel of Saint Nino lies an ancient cemetery, where countless generations have left their quiet mark. According to travelers, this secluded place stirs a gentle melancholy and invites reflection on the fleeting nature of human life.