Works on the restoration of the New Shuamta Monastery have been in full swing since 1995.
Naturally, worship is the foremost priority – a full cycle of services has been revived. Notably, worship and service to God here includes hosting, supporting, assisting, and spiritually uplifting hundreds of visitors.
Infrastructure, water and electrical power supplies, and others have been restored after years of negligence and ruin. The two historical buildings in the monastery’s territory have been fully renovated, and so has the ancient defensive wall along the perimeter.
The Skete of Saint George, consisting of monastic cells and a chapel, was built in 2000.
The driving force behind this revival with God’s help consists of the intellectual and physical resources of the nuns themselves, solidarity and assistance from pious citizens, and support from the state.
The monastery has revived its centuries-old farming to sustain itself with its homegrown organic products. The main revenue-generating activities here are beeswax candle production and prosphora bread-making, along with various handicrafts.
The monastic community, not content with the achievements listed above, looks into the future and spares no effort further to protect and duly represent our cultural heritage. To this end, the New Shuamta Monastery Rehabilitation Foundation was established to complete the restoration of the main church and other historically significant structures. This project enjoys also financing from the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia. Relevant work is underway since spring of 2018. The foundation’s ultimate goal, however, seeks to implement the New Shuamta for Supporting the New Generation project. Monasteries, as sources of spirituality and educational centers, have always played an exceptional role in the history of Georgia, and the New Shuamta Monastery has, for years, provided spiritual nourishment for our youth.
A new generation is coming with its challenges and ideas, and a new lifestyle. Ties between generations are increasingly fading away. In our materialistic era of consumerism, it is of vital importance to imbue our youth with spiritual values. In the same vein, it is imperative to channel the monastery’s spiritual and intellectual resources into raising a generation in communion with our spiritual heritage, which is the only way to salvation.
The New Shuamta Monastery in an educational sense, gives priority to the translations of theological, edifying works primarily from Greek, but also from Russian and English. Numerous books have been published, including for children. With support from the Cezanne print house, the monastery publishes quarterly Alaverdi Magazine. To promote publishing activities, with the blessing of Metropolitan David of Alaverdi, the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist was established near Tbilisi as the New Shuamta Monastery’s metochion, so-called embassy church or monastery, a mission of sorts.
