Back in Kazbegi- note the Trinity Church high up on the moutain in the distance
We are back in the main town square of Kazbegi/ Stepantsmindo now, but unsuccessfully having spent nearly an hour to only find a seat in a restaurant earlier in the day and then having to back track some 15km just to have a meal, we did not stop for photos. This picture is therefore downloaded from the net. (acknowledgement appears at the end of this caption.) According to tradition, Stepantsminda, literally Saint Stephan was named so after a Georgian Orthodox monk Stephan, who constructed a hermitage at this location on what later became the Georgian Military Highway. It came under the control of a local feudal magnate, the Chopikashvili clan, who were in charge of collecting tolls on travelers in the area in the late 18th century. After the expansion of the Russian Empire into the Kingdom of Georgia in the early 19th century, the people of the region revolted against Russian rule. However, the local lord Gabriel Chopikashvili, son of Kazi-Beg, remained steadfast in his loyalty to Russia and helped to suppress the revolt. In return, he was promoted to officer in the Russian Army. He adopted the surname Kazbegi, and the village under his control was also frequently referred to as Kazbegi. The name was officially changed to Kazbegi already under the Soviet rule in 1925. Gabriel Chopikashvili-Kazbegi's grandson was the famed Georgian writer Alexander Kazbegi, who was born in this town. In 2006, the town reverted to its original name of Stepantsiminda. Almost all locals refer to the town as Kazbegi though. You can see the Gergeti Trinity Church high up on the hill in the far background in the middle of this photograph. (Kazbegi/ Stepantsminda, Georgia, Sept. 2016) thealoof.com/a-brief-trip-into-the-amazing-caucasus-mount...
Back in Kazbegi- note the Trinity Church high up on the moutain in the distance
We are back in the main town square of Kazbegi/ Stepantsmindo now, but unsuccessfully having spent nearly an hour to only find a seat in a restaurant earlier in the day and then having to back track some 15km just to have a meal, we did not stop for photos. This picture is therefore downloaded from the net. (acknowledgement appears at the end of this caption.) According to tradition, Stepantsminda, literally Saint Stephan was named so after a Georgian Orthodox monk Stephan, who constructed a hermitage at this location on what later became the Georgian Military Highway. It came under the control of a local feudal magnate, the Chopikashvili clan, who were in charge of collecting tolls on travelers in the area in the late 18th century. After the expansion of the Russian Empire into the Kingdom of Georgia in the early 19th century, the people of the region revolted against Russian rule. However, the local lord Gabriel Chopikashvili, son of Kazi-Beg, remained steadfast in his loyalty to Russia and helped to suppress the revolt. In return, he was promoted to officer in the Russian Army. He adopted the surname Kazbegi, and the village under his control was also frequently referred to as Kazbegi. The name was officially changed to Kazbegi already under the Soviet rule in 1925. Gabriel Chopikashvili-Kazbegi's grandson was the famed Georgian writer Alexander Kazbegi, who was born in this town. In 2006, the town reverted to its original name of Stepantsiminda. Almost all locals refer to the town as Kazbegi though. You can see the Gergeti Trinity Church high up on the hill in the far background in the middle of this photograph. (Kazbegi/ Stepantsminda, Georgia, Sept. 2016) thealoof.com/a-brief-trip-into-the-amazing-caucasus-mount...