The Monastery of St. Nino is a Georgian Orthodox monastic complex and the seat of the Bishops of Bodbe, located 2 km from the town of Sighnaghi in Kakheti, Georgia. Originally built in the 9th century, it has been significantly remodeled, especially in the 17th century. It is now a nunnery. In the monastery, women and men are segregated, as it is a women’s monastery; men and women walk separately and keep a distance from each other.
The Bodbe Monastery is nestled among tall cypress trees on a steep hillside overlooking the Alazani Valley. Both the exterior and interior walls have been plastered and bear traces of restoration carried out in the 17th and 19th centuries. The complex includes a small hall and a church, where St. Nino’s grave is located.
According to history and legend, St. Nino, having witnessed the conversion of the Georgians to Christianity, withdrew to Bodbe, where she died between 338 and 340 AD.
The Deeply Spiritual Bodbe Monastery
The monastery also has a large repository of monastic books, the largest collection of spiritual and religious books in the country.
There is no entry fee to the monastery. The monks and nuns live a life of celibacy. Bishops must be unmarried men or widowers; a married man cannot become a bishop according to monastic rules.
The monastery was patronized by Tsar Alexander III of Russia. During the Soviet era, the monastery functioned as a hospital. Nino’s tomb, partly silver-colored, is bejeweled with a turquoise halo. Its religious significance makes it a very popular place of worship and a popular tourist destination.
