Khino Monastic Complex

The Khinotsminda Church is located in the village of Zemo Khino, on the bank of the Sakiria River. According to the oral tradition, Queen Tamar once held a feast in this village and the name “khino” was thus established there. The Khinotsminda church is built on the name of John the Baptist. The churchyard is surrounded with a cobblestone fence. The church dates back to the 10^th-11^th centuries. The history of formation of the Khinotsminda Eparchy is very interesting. It is connected with the centuries-old history of the Georgian Orthodox Church. There were three ecclesiastical districts in the Western Georgia – Lazika, Abkhazia and Jikheti including into the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Historical sources show that it was an Episcopal See. The church ceased existence after the Ottoman conquest.