The Architecture and Asceticism Website was created in 2013 to host research undertaken as part of a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant. The project ran 2012-2017 and took an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the relationship between Syria and Georgia in Late Antiquity. This was a first step in what is hoped will be ongoing research to understand the relationships between early Christian communities in the Levant and the Caucasus. To access the resources generated by the project please see:

Architecture and Asceticism: Cultural Interaction between Syria and Georgia in Late Antiquity

The ERC project ended in November 2017, but the public engagement element of the work in Georgia has continued ever since. It began with seed funding from the University of Exeter and has since expanded to a nationwide project with grants from the AHRC (2019-2020 Global Challenges Research Fund Networking Grant, 2023-2024 Follow on Impact Funding) and ESRC IAA (2024). At the time of writing work continues with our colleagues at the Georgian National Museum and anyone interested in learning more or in supporting us is encouraged to make contact via the details on this website:

Widening participation and increasing access to Cultural Heritage and Natural Science Activities in Georgia