Matani is a village in the Kakheti

Kakheti

Kakheti is a historical province in Eastern Georgia inhabited by Kakhetians who speak a local dialect of Georgian. It is bordered by the small mountainous province of Tusheti and the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north, Russian Federation to the Northeast, Azerbaijan to the Southeast, and...

 region, Georgia

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

. In the village is a 5th-century basilica

Basilica

The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...

, Tskhrakara (literally, the Nine Gates) and the ruins of an old palace of the Cholokashvili

Cholokashvili

Cholokashvili is a former noble family in Georgia. It claimed an exotic foreign lineage and first appeared in the eastern Georgian province, and later kingdom, of Kakheti in 1320...

 noble family.

The village is also home to several traditional religious festivals throughout a year, particularly Didbatonoba (local celebration of St George's Day

St George's Day

St George's Day is celebrated by the several nations, kingdoms, countries, and cities of which Saint George is the patron saint. St George's Day is celebrated on 23 April, the traditionally accepted date of Saint George's death in AD 303...

, November 23), Iakharoba (autumn), and Tsikhegoroba (local variant of Easter

Easter

Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...

 Tuesday holiday).

Matani is also known as the birthplace of the national hero Kakutsa Cholokashvili

Kakutsa Cholokashvili

Kaikhosro Cholokashvili commonly known as Kakutsa was a Georgian nobleman and military commander, regarded as a National Hero of Georgia...

(1888-1930)