Tighvi Municipality
Tighvi: Tighva Monastery of 1152, founded by Queen Tamar, daughter of David the Builder, and the villages of the Prone valley — history.
Tighvi Municipality — overview
MunicipalityHistory
Tighvi Municipality is a temporary administrative unit of Georgia, created in 2006 in the Shida Kartli region, with its centre in the village of Avnevi (about 870 m above sea level), west of Tskhinvali. It includes six communities — Akhalsheni, Tighva, Okona, Lopan, Avnevi and Nuli — with villages in the valleys of the Prone and neighbouring rivers. Under the Law of Georgia on Occupied Territories, the area is part of the occupied Tskhinvali region; its municipal administration works from Tbilisi.
The most important monument of the municipality is Tighva Monastery in the Prone valley. According to its inscription, it was founded in 1152 by Tamar, daughter of King David IV the Builder and dowager queen of Shirvan, who became a nun here and died around 1161. The monastery is a monument of national significance of Georgia.
The village of Avnevi, the municipal centre, has a church of the 14th–15th centuries incorporating relief carvings of the 10th century. Many villages of the area were damaged during the war of August 2008, when Avnevi was shelled.
After August 2008 the whole area came under Russian and de facto control, and its ethnic Georgian population was displaced. The international community, including the EU and the UN General Assembly, supports Georgia’s territorial integrity and the right of displaced persons to return.
Visiting information: the area is currently inaccessible from Georgian-controlled territory, and many governments advise against all travel to the Tskhinvali region. This page presents the history of Tighvi for reference; nearby Gori and Kareli municipalities can be visited freely.
FAQ
1) Where is Tighvi Municipality located?
In Shida Kartli, west of Tskhinvali, in the Prone valley area.
2) What is the status of the territory?
Under Georgian law it is part of the occupied Tskhinvali region; its administration works from Tbilisi.
3) What is the centre?
The village of Avnevi.
4) When was the municipality created?
In 2006, as a temporary administrative unit.
5) What is Tighva Monastery?
A monastery founded in 1152 by Tamar, daughter of King David IV the Builder.
6) Who founded Tighva Monastery?
Tamar, daughter of David IV and dowager queen of Shirvan, who became a nun there.
7) What is in Avnevi?
A church of the 14th–15th centuries with 10th-century reliefs.
8) What happened in 2008?
During the August 2008 war the area was shelled and came under occupation.
9) Can Tighvi be visited?
It is currently inaccessible from Georgian-controlled territory.
10) What can be visited nearby?
Gori and Kareli municipalities.