
The Monastery of Gelati, established in 1106 in the west of Georgia, is a treasure of the Golden Age of medieval Georgia, a period of political strength and economic growth between the 11th and 13th centuries. It is characterized by the facades of smoothly hewn large blocks, balanced proportions and blind arches for exterior ornaments. The Gelati monastery, one of the biggest medieval Orthodox monasteries, was also a centre of science and education and the Academy it housed was one of the most significant culture centers in the history of Georgia, in which they once taught geometry, arithmetic, music, philosophy, rhetoric, grammar, and astronomy.