No records of the church's construction survive in historical sources or in the inscriptions preserved on its frescoes. Oral tradition links the building of Skhalta with the name of Queen Tamar. In the Middle Ages the Skhalta valley was a rather advanced region; the shortest road from Adjara to Artaani passed through it. The district's cultural rise is connected with the period of Georgia's political and economic strength and the rule of the Abuserisdze family in Adjara. The Abuserisdzes were distinguished by exceptional virtue and piety; it is known that they built the churches of Verneba, Khikhani and Tkhilvana in Adjara.