On November 12, the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi will announce funding for a project focused on the conservation of damaged stones on the facades of the Major Church at Jvari Monastery.

As the U.S. Embassy said, funding for the project was made available by a grant through the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP). The $100,000 project will be implemented by George Chubinashvili National Research Centre for Georgian Art History and Heritage Preservation, with the help of various interdisciplinary teams.

“This project is intended to cover the first phase of the conservation cycle by carrying out a comprehensive study, to identify, classify, and map the extent of damage and deterioration of the façade. The Major Church Jvari of the Holy Cross (586-605 A.D.) is Jvari Monastery’s most important and valuable monument. The Jvary Monastery complex is part of the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation has provided financial support to more than 1000 cultural preservation projects in more than 125 countries through the contribution of nearly $74 million towards the preservation of cultural heritage worldwide. In Georgia, the AFCP has funded 19 preservation projects worth nearly $1,5 million,” the embassy said in press-release.