Gigantic Sculptures by Merab Phiranishvili. — Attraction in Mtskheta-Mtianeti

The village of SNO, or the depiction of Easter Island in Georgia. If you are planning a trip along the Georgian Military Road, then you must visit the village of Sno, famous for its stone head sculptures. The massive stone sculptures are the work of local artist Merab Piranishvili, who wants to create a total of 500 such statues. Piranišvili's first and largest sculpture - the portrait of St. George, was completed in 1984. Since then, six more stone heads representing the brightest and most famous people in Georgian history have been added to this collection: Shota Rustaveli, Ilia Chavchavadze, Akaki Tsereteli, Vazha Pshavela, Alexandre Kazbegi. As the sculptor Piranishvili himself says, these are "..the faces of real patriots who saved Georgia". The newest of the figures created by the sculptor is the sculpture of Jesus Christ. Each head is carved from a single block of granite. Thanks to the help of various people, the sculptor moved the boulders from the Darial gorge to the village of SNO. The gaze of all the stone heads is directed towards the sky. We arrived in the village of Sno in the morning, and it was the right decision, because we met the sculptor Merab Piranishvili himself. Merab told us his life story, presented his works and presented his ideas for the future. The sculptor showed all his working tools, explained the technological processes of processing each stone. After visiting the sculptor and donating him some money, we went further to see the Sno fortress. It is a 3-minute drive from the sculptor's workshop. I would also recommend adding this object to the list of...

Traveling from Kazbegi, right at the entrance to the Sno village, on the right side, you will see several face sculptures. Usually, if it's sunny and during spring or summer, you might spot the sculptor David Piranishvili there too. In total, there are about 7-8 sculptures. He is currently working on a Vakhtang Gorgasali head sculpture. The first sculpture he made, 30 years ago, is St. George's sculpture, which depicts him sitting on a horse and is now located near the village.

Some interesting sculptures include the heads of Christ and Tevdore, a priest. It seems as if nature has contributed to these artworks; Christ's head has natural iron on the stone, creating the appearance of blood, while the priest appears to have tears in his eyes. According to the artist, the government opposes his sculptures, and he cannot even own the land on which they stand. While the sculptures are not for sale, he does sell his...

Georgia's answer to Easter Island. There are many interesting sites you can visit along the Georgian Military Road, one of the most strange or mysterious sites is just before the small town of Sno. There in a field are the gigantic sculpted heads each depicting a famous one from Gerogian history or the arts, they are the work of Merab Piranishvili. The first head was completed in 1984 and was that of St. George. Since then, six more heads have been added, those of Shota Rustaveli, Ilia Chavchavadze, Akaki Tsereteli, Vazha Pshavela, Alexandre Kazbegi and finally Jesus Christ. Piranishvili's ultimate goal is an open-air museum with 500 gigantic stone heads, Georgia's answer to Easter Island so to say. I already find this modest start...