Svetitskhovloba (Mtskhetoba) · Svetitskhovloba

Culture of origin: Christian · Cultural

Holiday sources: Eastern Orthodox

Svetitskhovloba, or Mtskhetoba, is a public holiday in Georgia for Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta, commemorating the first Christian church in Georgia. By Georgian tradition the cathedral holds Christ's mantle, brought from Jerusalem by a Mtskheta Jew named Elias. Georgia's kings were crowned and buried there, and it is part of the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994.