Poka St. Nino Monastery

Situated on the expansive Javakheti Plateau at an elevation of 2,100 meters, the Poka St. Nino Monastery stands as a primary landmark in the history of the Georgian Church. Positioned on the eastern shore of Lake Paravani, the site is identified by ecclesiastical tradition as the location where St. Nino of Cappadocia first crossed into the Kingdom of Iberia in the early 4th century. The surrounding geography—defined by dark volcanic basalt and the cold, vast horizon of the lake—creates a landscape that has served as a center for ascetic practice for over a millennium.

The Historical Foundations of Poka

The history of the site is deeply tied to the Christianization of Georgia. Ancient chronicles suggest that after experiencing a life-altering vision at this precise geographical junction, St. Nino commenced her mission to unite the nation under the Christian faith. Archaeological surveys confirm that a religious structure existed here in the medieval period, culminating in a significant cathedral constructed in the 11th century under the reign of King Bagrat IV.

Following centuries of geopolitical instability and regional conflicts that devastated the frontier provinces, the original medieval structure fell into disrepair. The site remained a silent witness to history until the late 20th century, when Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II initiated the restoration of monastic life. Today, the complex comprises two distinct entities: the St. Nino Nunnery and the Monastery of the Three Holy Hierarchs, with the modern church building acting as a physical shell over the original, excavated foundations of the 11th-century cathedral.

Monastic Economy and Cultural Craft

The current community at Poka is recognized for its adherence to a disciplined, self-sufficient lifestyle. The nuns of the monastery have established a specialized agricultural production cycle that is unique within the Georgian monastic tradition. Focusing on high-altitude dairy processing, the community produces up to 18 varieties of cheese, utilizing traditional European techniques adapted to the harsh, high-mountain environment of the Javakheti region.

Key aspects of the monastic output include:

• High-altitude dairy products: Cheeses matured in conditions dictated by the cool, alpine climate of the plateau.
• Herbal cultivation: The processing of mountain flora gathered from the surrounding volcanic plains.
• Iconography: The maintenance of traditional Georgian artistic techniques in the creation of liturgical art.

The Monastery of the Three Hierarchs

Beyond the primary nunnery, the Monastery of the Three Holy Hierarchs—dedicated to Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom—serves as the spiritual core for the male monastic brotherhood. The architectural layout reflects the austere, grounded aesthetic characteristic of the region’s ecclesiastical history. By maintaining a constant presence in this remote and often unforgiving landscape, the monastery continues to act as a guardian of the region's cultural and spiritual heritage, bridging the gap between the ancient foundations of the 4th century and the modern ecclesiastical revival.