Svetitskhoveli is the great cathedral of Georgia, and its name means the life-giving pillar. The story goes that after the crucifixion, a Georgian Jew named Elioz brought Christ's robe back to Mtskheta, where his sister Sidonia died of grief clutching it. The robe could not be removed from her hands, so she was buried with it, and a cedar grew from her grave. Saint Nino cut the tree down to make seven pillars for the first church, and the seventh is said to have risen by itself and hung in the air until a prayer brought it down. The present building was raised in the early eleventh century, in a time of great confidence in the Georgian kingdom, and it has been the burial place of many kings.
The cathedral is vast inside, with a high central dome, a floor of worn stone and walls of faded frescoes. The architecture is typical of Georgia, with a cross-in-square plan, blind arcades and delicate stone carving on the outside, including a carved hand said to be the architect's. Candles flicker before the icons, and it is in daily use, with priests chanting. A thick defensive wall, built in the seventeenth century, surrounds the courtyard, giving it the air of a fortress.
The approach by bike is easy. The cathedral stands in the middle of the old town, a short walk from the car park where the roads from Tbilisi arrive, and the surrounding streets are narrow and often cobbled, so it is best to leave the bike and walk. Early morning is the quietest time and the best for photographs, because later in the day tour buses fill the courtyard. Be aware that you need to cover your knees and shoulders to enter, and women usually need a headscarf, which are often lent at the door.
You are in a small town, but fuel stations are close on the main road, and Tbilisi, twenty kilometres south, has everything. The streets near the cathedral hold cafés and wine shops where you can try a glass of amber qvevri wine, made in clay jars buried in the ground in the old way. It tastes of tea and apricots, and it is a very Georgian way to end a visit.