🇬🇪Georgia: Sameba Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Tbilisi

St. Trinity Church in Stepantsminda, Kazbegi, Georgia, stands on a steep mountain top at an altitude of 2170 meters and is known as the "church closest to the sky in the world". The church was built in the 14th century, hidden and solemn, with a landscape that can shake the soul. . The exterior walls of the Holy Trinity Church are decorated with reliefs and carvings of sun, grapevines, and crosses, while only a few murals remain inside the church. There is no electricity in the church, and the only source of light comes from narrow windows, so most of the day the interior of the church is in semi-darkness. . Due to its remote location, during the Persian invasion of Georgia in the 18th century, many precious artifacts from Mtskheta, including the Holy Cross of Saint Nino, were brought here for safekeeping in the church. During the Soviet era, rulers once banned worship ceremonies in churches, but churches remained a pilgrimage destination. . It is said that in Georgia, there is a belief that to get closer to God, one needs to make an effort, and only true believers can overcome the difficulties in the mountains to reach the mountaintop church. Therefore, churches in Georgia are mostly found between mountain ranges. . In 1829, Pushkin traveled to Kazbek and created the poem "Monastery on Kazbek Mountain" depicting the magnificent scenery before him, yearning to live in seclusion by God's side, hidden in the clouds.