Ertatsminda Temple

Ertatsminda Temple is located in the eponymous village of the municipality of Kaspi, it was built in the early XIII century. The name of the temple comes from the name of St. Eustache (Eustace), in whose honor the Church was consecrated. An important monument of the Golden age of Georgian architecture. According to the style of construction, this temple resembles such churches of XII-XIII centuries as Betania, Ikorta, Kvatakhevi and Pitareti. Inside the Temple is painted with frescoes depicting the life of St. Eustathius. Decoration is the facade of the temple with a large cross on all sides. About the history of Ertzainta is not known to many. In troubled times, this area was not only a religious building, but also quite powerfully fortified citadel. Suffice it to say that once the fortress wall of Ertatsmind was so high that only the dome of the temple could be seen behind it.

Since the XVII century, it became the property of the princes Tarkhan-Mouravi, who were descended from the glorious family of Saakadze. In the Western part of the Temple near the main altar is a family crypt, made in the form of a sacred niche. Here lies the eldest son of the Saakadze family – Paata, who was in Iran as a hostage and was killed in 1625 by Shah Abas, after the beginning of the Georgian uprising. His body was smuggled from Iran to Georgia and buried here. A marble plaque mentioning this fact is inside the Cathedral, on the North wall.