Built in the 13th–14th centuries, the church's construction is linked with the names of King Gubaz, David the Builder, Queen Tamar and Tsotne Dadiani. Akaki Tsereteli dedicated his poem "Natela" to the Khobi monastery. The church is adorned with carved ornament and frescoes. Before the establishment of Soviet rule it housed the robe of the Mother of God, the thigh of St. George, the arm of St. Marine, the hand of St. Kvirike, Queen Tamar's pectoral cross and other relics. The monastery is an architectural complex including the church, a palace, a bell tower, an enclosure wall and the remains of other buildings. In the Middle Ages the Khobi monastery was the residence of the Catholicos of western Georgia.