From almost anywhere in central Tbilisi you can see it: a great golden dome rising from the hill of Elia, across the river in the old district of Avlabari. The Holy Trinity Cathedral — Sameba in Georgian — is the seat of the Georgian Orthodox Church and one of the largest Orthodox cathedrals anywhere.
It is also, by the measure of its surroundings, brand new. Built between 1995 and 2004, in the uncertain years after independence, it was raised partly by public subscription as a statement of faith and nationhood — a deliberate return to the proportions and forms of Georgia's medieval churches, scaled up to the size of the ambition behind it. The result is grand rather than ancient, and unmistakably Georgian.
Climb the terraced approach and the building keeps growing above you; step inside and the space rises into shadow and gold, candle smoke drifting up toward the dome. Services are sung rather than spoken, and the low harmony of an Orthodox choir is among the most stirring sounds in the country.
Visit toward evening, when the stone warms in the late light and a service is often under way. Dress modestly — shoulders and knees covered, a scarf for women — and the cathedral is open to all who come quietly.
