Fire breaks out at a building in UNESCO World Heritage Site of Gelati

A fire broke out in one of the buildings of the Gelati monastery complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a non-governmental organisation – Europe is our home – said on Monday. 

The organisation said that the fire had burnt the part of the building located in the north-west of the main temple, which was intended as the cell for the head of the monastery.

Exact damage has not been calculated so far. 

Founded in 1106 in the west of Georgia, the Monastery of Gelati is a masterpiece of the Golden Age of medieval Georgia, a period of political strength and economic growth between the 11th and 13th centuries, UNESCO said. 

The Gelati monastery, one of the largest medieval Orthodox monasteries, was also a centre of science and education and the Academy it housed was one of the most important centres of culture in ancient Georgia, said the organisation.