On April 14, a trip and an excursion to the Raifa Monastery of the Mother of God was organized for foreign students of KIU. The tour was conducted by the novice of the monastery Asselborn Alexander. The translators were foreign students of KIU studying in the field of Linguistics - Garcia Mendivelso Allison Gabriel and Rodriguez Maldonado Alfredo Jose.
Acquaintance with the Raifa Monastery of the Mother of God began with the highest building of the monastery - the gate bell tower at the entrance to the territory, where they were met by the novice of the monastery Alexander, who gave the guys a tour. First of all, Alexander spoke about the history of the founding of the Raifa Monastery and its development to the present day. After an interesting story, the guys began to get acquainted with each object of the monastery in more detail.
The first was the largest cathedral on the territory of the monastery - the Cathedral of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God. Here the guys got acquainted with an exact copy of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God, which is the main shrine of the Raifa Monastery, to which tens of thousands of pilgrims come every year. The next place visited by the students was the Holy Trinity Cathedral, which delighted the children with its architecture.
In addition to architecture, the territory of the monastery is famous for its picturesque landscapes, namely, the nearby Raifa Lake, which is a favorite place for visitors. It is here that the well-known silent frogs live, about which the students were also told, which in turn greatly surprised them. Climbing up to the observation deck of the Museum of the History of the Raifa Monastery, the students were really able to enjoy the amazing views.
Speaking of the Raifa Monastery of the Mother of God, it is necessary to mention the cats, which are also its calling card. No exaggeration to say that it was these four-legged friends that aroused the greatest attention and the greatest delight among the students. The students already knew before the trip that cats literally walk everywhere on the territory of the monastery, so they bought food for them in advance and fed the animals with pleasure.
The end point of the tour was the Holy Water Chapel. The guys first tried the water from the Raifa spring.
The students were greatly impressed by the architecture of the monastery, its history and picturesque nature. An excursion to the Raifa Monastery of the Mother of God will be imprinted in the memory of foreign students for a long time.