At the beginning of the VIII century there was a church here. During invasion of the Arab army of Mervan Glukhy Arabs burned church. All area of Likhsky ridge then was called as Argveti, it mtavara David and Konstantin which residence was Shorapani’s fortress operated.
They left with army against Arabs, but were broken and captured. For some reason Mervan wanted to turn them into Islam and to win over, but brothers (or simply close relatives) refused. They were tormented by 9 days, then drowned in Rioni’s river. When their bodies were found ashore, people heard the God’s voice which ordered to bear them to the east to that place where the procession will be found by dawn.
Ruins of the burned church – approximately in 3 kilometers from Rioni appeared this place. There David and Konstantin were buried. In the middle of the XI century built the big temple here and founded the monastery “motsameta” (martyrs). Approximately then “David and Konstantin’s martyrdom” was made.
It is small, very beautiful monastery with the round turrets topped with peaked tent domes. The monastery is above the rough river of Rioni and is buried in verdure of coastal vegetation.
The monastery is built on a place where Muslim aggressors executed the Georgian princes David and Konstantin Mkheidze who refused to accept Islam. In the small hall of the monastery on an eminence there is a big rectangular ark with relics of the pious princes canonized the Georgian Church.
Motsameta attracts crowds of tourists with an ancient belief: if three times to creep under an ark and, having put to relics, to ask about something princes David and Konstantin, they surely will help. The tsar Bagrat III reconstructed church in the X century. The building was once again reconstructed in the XIX century.
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