Ateni Sioni is a domed tetraconch church in the Tana river gorge about 6 miles (10 km) south of Gori, Georgia. The article dates it to the early 7th century but says the church is not dated. An undated Armenian inscription names Todosak as builder, and the article treats him as either the original architect or the renovator of the late 10th century.
The cruciform interior measures 79 by 63 feet (24 by 19.22 m). The dome's tholobate rests on three rows of tromps with eight, sixteen and thirty-two facets. Lower facades are reddish ashlar, and the 10th-century restoration faced the upper facades with carved greenish-gray stone. It belongs to the Jvari type.
Reliefs show a deer hunt on the west facade and two deer drinking on the north tympanum. Frescoes were added in the second half of the 11th century by at least four artists. The article gives no information on current use or access.
Comments