View source for Ikalto Monastery

{{Short description|Georgian monastery}}
[[Image:Ikalto-2008-01.jpg|right|thumb|Khvtaeba church at the Ikalto monastery.]]
'''Iqalto''' ({{lang-ka|იყალთო}}) is a village about 10&nbsp;km west of the town [[Telavi]] in the [[Kakheti]] region of Eastern [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]. It is mostly known for its [[monastery]] complex and the [[Academy of Ikalto|Ikalto Academy]].

The Ikalto monastery was founded by Saint Zenon, one of the [[Thirteen Assyrian Fathers|13 Assyrian Fathers]], in the late 6th century. It was known as one of the most significant cultural-scholastic centres of Georgia. An academy was founded at the monastery during king [[David IV of Georgia|David the Builder]] by [[Arsen Ikaltoeli]] (''Ikaltoeli'' meaning ''from Ikalto''), and advisor to David IV, in 1106.<ref>Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia by Donald Rayfield</ref> The [[Academy of Ikalto]] trained its students in theology, rhetoric, astronomy, philosophy, geography, geometry, arithmetic, music, grammar, chanting but also more practical skills such as pottery making, metal work, viticulture and wine making and pharmacology. According to a legend the famous 12th century Georgian poet [[Shota Rustaveli]] studied there.

There are three churches on the monastery grounds – Khvtaeba, Kvelatsminda and Sameba. The main church, Khvtaeba (''Holy Spirit''), was built in the 8th–9th century on the site of an older church (in which Saint Zenon had been buried). In 1616 the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] invaders led by Shah [[Abbas the Great|Abbas I]] set the Ikalto Academy on fire and it ceased to exist.

<gallery>
Church of the Transfiguration (Ikalto) 01.jpg|Church of the Transfiguration
Ikalto-2008-03.jpg|Church of the Transfiguration
Chapel of the Mother of God (Ikalto) 01.jpg|Chapel of the Mother of God
Church of the Holy Trinity (Ikalto).jpg|Church of the Holy Trinity
Academy of Ikalto 01.jpg|Ruins of the Ikalto Academy
Ikalto-2008-07.jpg|Ruins of the Ikalto Academy
Winepress building (Ikalto).jpg|Winepress building
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[ Tsinandali]]
* [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]
* [[Culture of Georgia (country)|Culture of Georgia]]
* [[History of Georgia (country)|History of Georgia]]
* [[Kakheti]]
* [[Telavi Municipality]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110705033151/http://kakheti.net/ikalto/ikalto.html Ikalto monastery at Kakheti.net]
*[https://www.georgia-tours.eu/ikalto-monastery/ Ikalto monastery description]

{{commons category|Ikalto monastery}}
{{coord|41.937|N|45.381|E|display=title|source:dewiki}}
{{Georgian Churches}}

[[Category:Georgian Orthodox monasteries]]
[[Category:Christian monasteries established in the 6th century]]
[[Category:Populated places in Telavi Municipality]]