The inscription at the south entrance records the monument's exact date of construction — 1046 — and mentions the local feudal lord, eristavt-eristavi Giorgi son of Gulzviadi, while the inscription at the west entrance says the church was built by the architect Haraba. Along the full south side of the building, simple in plan, runs a portico-gateway, which must have been built by another master somewhat later. The church's proportions are harmonious and refined; its abundant decoration, rich in motifs, is organically matched to the building's architectural forms. In the church is a richly carved 11th-century plaster chancel screen, badly disfigured during the monument's repair in the 19th century. The bell tower belongs to the second half of the 19th century. The inscription: "In the name of God I, Giorgi, eristavt-eristavi, built this holy church of Savane as a prayer for my soul and for my brother Khursi the eristavi and for my parents, Gulzviadi and Mariam, and for his mother. St. George, be intercessor before God, amen."