Family History

The history of VardziaResort began long before 2015, when the resort welcomed its first guests.

The idea of attracting tourists to Samtskhe-Javakheti was already on the mind of Nikoloz Natenadze in the 1930s and 1940s. A lawyer by profession, public figure, Rustvelologist and restorer, he made a significant contribution to the development and promotion of the Vardzia Monastery Complex.

At a time when parts of Vardzia’s caves had been turned into livestock shelters by Turkish shepherds, Nikoloz Natenadze laid the foundations for their restoration and preservation.

In 1936–1937, large-scale restoration works were carried out in Vardzia under his initiative: more than 300 caves were cleared, the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary and its frescoes were restored, and archaeologists discovered a pharmacy dating back to the time of Queen Tamar. He became the first director of the Vardzia Tourist Complex and Museum, both of which he had established, and played a key role in their development.

Nikoloz Natenadze’s work extended beyond Vardzia. In 1934, an expedition was organized to study the potential construction of hydroelectric power stations in the Mtkvari River valley. Through his efforts, a water supply system was also built for the village of Gogasheni, which locals still call “Kolia’s Water” to this day.

It was Nikoloz Natenadze’s dedication to saving the rock-hewn city of Vardzia that inspired his descendants to continue the work he had begun. For them, this meant contributing to the cultural and economic development of Vardzia itself and of the Samtskhe-Javakheti region as a whole.

To this day, he is remembered as “the man who saved Vardzia.”