Vardzia

Dating back to the 12th century, Vardzia is a cave monastery in southern Georgia, excavated from the slopes of the Erusheti Mountain. At one point the location had over 6,000 rooms and a complex irrigation system which watered terraced farmlands. Today there are 427 rooms in total, with some 300 apartments and halls remain open to the public. At the heart of the cave complex is the Church of the Assumption. The location looks like something out of Lord of the Rings.

Vardzia is maintained by a group of monks. Permits are required from the National Agency for Cultural Heritage. Generally speaking, the permitting process is fast, inexpensive and easy.

April to October is the best time of year to film for good weather and long day light hours.

Tbilisi is the capital and main production centre a 3hr drive away where all local crew and equipment are based. Most key crew are available in Georgia. Accommodation for visiting crews can be found at nearby Vardzia Resort.

Tbilisi Production Support and Crew

If you are looking to film in Vardzia and require a Georgian fixer or service producer to arrange permitting and other production requirements, contact us. We are also able to recommend reliable Tbilisi based shooting crew including directors, DoPs, videographers, cameramen and stills photographers for your shoot in Vardzia or anywhere else in Georgia.

Images courtesy of the Georgian National Film Center