On Sunday, April 18, 2004, His Holiness and Beatitude, Patriarch-Catholicos ILIA II and His Beatitude, Metropolitan HERMAN concelebrated the Divine Liturgy for the Sunday of St. Thomas at the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Georgia.
At present, the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is the largest church in Georgia. The current cathedral, completed in 1029 AD, is built on the site of the country’s first church, built in the fourth century.
While the cathedral suffered damage during the 14th century Tamerlane invasion, the exterior and interior frescoes have been meticulously restored. It was in this cathedral that the Patriarch-Catholicoses were enthroned and rulers were crowned and buried.
