Seven small churches are preserved in the community of Ushguli. The Church of Lamaria (10th century) is surrounded by a towered fence and crowns the highest Ushguli village of Zhibiani. Lamaria is the name Svans gave to The Virgin and this church is their most revered, covered in frescoes dating back to the 10th to 12th centuries. ‘Lamarioba,’ the local Assumption Day, is marked by a festive celebration at this church every year on August 28.
LAND OF LEGENDS
Part of Svaneti’s remarkable charm is attributed to the uncanny mixture of the Christian faith with elements of the local, pre-Christian pagan beliefs and is evident in the many legends and traditions that are kept alive today.
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To Georgia
One such legend is about the Devi, or the forest man, who became the enemy of Ushguli’s Virgin and decided to drown her. He built a dam near Kala, west of Ushguli, in the narrow rocky ravine of the Enguri Gorge, which is now known as ‘Devi’s Nasheni’ (meaning ‘built by Devi’). The Devi wanted to collect the Enguri water in order to submerge the Church of the Virgin. Lamaria sought the help of St. Kvirike of Kala and together they released a gold-horned flock to destroy the wall and thus saved Ushguli’s Church of The Virgin. Outside the Lamaria Church is a large stone bench where locals claim Prince Buta Dadeshkeliani was assassinated. At that time Upper Svaneti was divided into the free, unconquered upper region