Mkheri is a small single nave church with a western annex, located in the village of Lashkhveri, in the Lenjeri community. The church was built in the 14th century, and its interior is adorned with murals from the same period. These paintings are a notable example of the so called Paleologan-era wall painting in Svaneti.

The murals of Mkheri are among the rare cases where the identity of the master painter is known thanks to an inscription preserved on the chancel-barrier, which—although now heavily damaged—is well documented in scholarly literature. The inscription reads:

"O Savior, intercede for David the painter."

In addition to the painter’s name, the identity of the donor who built and decorated the church is also known, due to portraits of the donor and his family members inside the church and a lengthy inscription accompanying the main donor. The principal donor, Mikel Iveldiani, is depicted holding a model of the church, together with his wife, on the north wall. The accompanying inscription states:

"I, Mikel Iveldiani, built this church, painted it, adorned it with icons and crosses, for the glorification of God and the Archangel of Mkheri, and for the salvation of my soul. Have mercy on me, O Lord."

On the opposite, southern wall, Mikel’s son and his wife are depicted. Their explanatory inscriptions are now severely fragmented, only the name of Mikel’s daughter-in-law, Natel, remains legible.

It’s worth noting that members of the Iveldiani family are mentioned in several historical documents from Svaneti, and period of their activity is dated to the mid-14th century. The dating is further supported by the stylistic and iconographic peculiarities of the murals.

Besides the main master, David the painter, who painted chancel, chancel-barrier and longitudinal walls (including the lower tier of the west wall), scholars have also identified the hand of a second painter in the mural decoration. This second painter is responsible for the painting of the vault and the upper tier scene on the west wall.