evidence: The David Gareja Monastery was established in the 6th century by David of Gareja, one of the Thirteen Assyrian Fathers, in the country’s easternmost region Kakheti, on the border with Azerbaijan. For geopolitical reasons, a few monastic buildings and churches on what is now the territory of Azerbaijan are inactive. The monastery was first expanded by Dodo and Luciane, disciples of David, who established new cave monasteries – Dodo’s Rka and the Monastery of John the Baptist. The spiritual significance of the David Gareja Monastery was noted not only in Georgia, but also outside its borders. Numerous conquerors and marauders destroyed and burned down the monastery. Abbas I of Persia tried to eradicate monastic life in David Gareja by executing 6,000 monks. [...] What to see at the David Gareja Monastery Complex - The Laura of St. David – the first monastic building on the territory of the monastery, built in the 6th century by the founder, David of Gareja. The complex (laura) consists of several monastic and utile buildings dating from 6th to the 18th centuries.