Church of Tsopa Fortress

There are church ruins at the foothill of Tsopa fortress (coordinates: 41.144598 44.434652). It’s a large hall structure standing on three-stage stylobate having pentahedral altar apse; the church has appendages from the north, west and south. Many stone cross fragments are discovered in the interior of this church. The church was build of uniform size, right-angled, prolonged roughly processed limestone. The constructions are structured of well-cut dark tuff. Two wide doors of the church are cut in the west and east walls. They are covered with massive architraves. Interior is divided into three equal parts by two pairs, strongly protruded, thick pilasters. Load-bearing arches were arranged over the pilasters. The church is badly damaged. The apse is almost completely ruined, there is no vault. Nevertheless, thick walls (130 cm), thick pilasters, huge architraves indicate to its old age. Its only survived capital also proves it (presently it is preserved in the Art Museum of Georgia). Lion, chasing a stag and two does is depicted on the capital. Its abacus is decorated by the series of stylized vegetal images (similar scenes are depicted on the capital of Bolnisi Sioni of the 5^th c.)