Founded in 1106 in Kutaisi in western Georgia, Gelati Monastery is a masterpiece of Georgia's golden age in the Middle Ages; which is a period of political power and economic growth between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries, and is characterized by facades of large hewn massifs with smooth and balanced proportions. This monastery was one of the largest Orthodox monasteries in the Middle Ages, as well as a center of science and education, as well as one of the most important centers of culture in ancient Georgia, and today it is one of the most prominent UNESCO World Heritage sites in Georgia.