Dolishane (Doliskana) Monastery and Church Doliskana Monastery is a Georgian Orthodox religious site situated in the village of Doliskana within the Klarceti region of ancient Georgia. To reach the monastery today, one must drive 3 kilometers along the Şavşat-Artvin highway, and then head towards Hamamlı Village. Although the monastery is commonly referred to as Dolishane Monastery in Turkey, the correct name, derived from the Georgian word for wheat-field "doli," is Doliskana. The monastery was founded in the 830-840s, but it was not mentioned by name until Giorgi Merchule's report. According to his account, it is believed that Doliskana Monastery may have officially become a monastery during his time, though there are conflicting sources on this. One theory proposes that the monastery was established in the early 10th century when a church was constructed. Unfortunately, nearly all of the monastery’s structures have been destroyed, except for the main church. There are also two differing opinions about the church's dedication – either to the "Archangels" or to St. Stefan. The Doliskana Church is the primary church of the Doliskana Monastery and is the only structure still standing from the monastery. Constructed in the 10th century, this domed, cruciform church measures 20 X 14 meters externally. Inscriptions on the southern façade reveal that it was built by Bagrat during the first half of the 10th century and later renovated by Sumbat I of Georgia. The church's central area follows a square plan and features four extended cross arms. The dome's height reaches approximately 25 meters at its apex. On the eastern side of the church, pastophorium rooms are located on either side of a semicircular apse. Access to these rooms is via a door opening from the exterior of the eastern walls, rather than from the interior. The western arm of the church was set deeper into the ground than the other arms, approximately two times as deep. The northern chamber of the western arm, which was likely used for wine storage or as a cellar, contained soil. The church features a combination of cut and rough exterior stones, with rubble stones inside. The southern wall is adorned with figurative, geometric, and floral decorations crafted using the relief technique, and some paintings have also survived. A relief on the southern wall depicts a man holding a model of the church. At one time, there was also a "Sundial" relief on the southern cross arm of the church, but it was later stolen. Despite this, the main area of the church, which serves as a place of worship and/or a community gathering space, remains largely intact and was used as a mosque until 1998. If you have any questions or need further information, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] or simply contact us via Whatsapp, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.