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This is the beautiful Metekhi Church, built in the late thirteenth century and early demolished by the Soviets. It’s thanks to people such as Dimitri Shevardnadze that this building was saved, as so many other churches were lost during the occupation. Although the church itself was saved, the fortress that was built up around it was demolished.

The view looking out from the front of the church.

I like the quirky porch way with evidence of some fine stonework and some rather time damaged stone.

Some tombs in the floor.

Some of this graffiti does look quite old, it’s suggested that it might be from the prisoners that were held here in the nineteenth century when the fortress complex was used as a prison.

The interior wasn’t as decorated as some of the other churches that we visited in the city, but it felt spacious and warm. The slight difficulty that they have here is that it’s become something of a tourist destination, which must make operating it as a working church as something of a challenge.

This is an icon of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, one of the most revered figures in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. This specific depiction illustrates a well-known period of his life where he spent 1,000 consecutive nights praying in the forest. He is shown kneeling with his hands raised in prayer, a posture that represents his intense devotion and spiritual struggle. In the upper right corner of the icon, the Virgin Mary is depicted, referencing the numerous visions the saint is said to have received from her throughout his life.

During the post Second World War period, the building was used as a depository for artworks from the National Museum of Art with a large stone wall built across it. This was later demolished in 1974 and the building became a youth theatre. Following political changes, the building once again became used as a church at the end of the 1980s. It’s positive that that the church has survived at all, but the constant changes of usage, including an earlier period when it was used as a gunpowder arsenal, have meant that much of the interior decoration has been lost.

I haven’t had a cat post recently, so here’s a quick interlude.

So graceful, especially as he’s near to a sheer drop.

I think it had fleas, so I let Jonathan stroke it. Apparently he said he would have rather I had mentioned the flea situation earlier.

This is the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi, a cavernous building that was constructed between 1995 and 2004, designed by the architect Archil Mindiashvili.

It’s certainly an impressive structure, but there is an element of it perhaps feeling just a little ostentatious.

It’s one of the largest new cathedrals in Europe, sitting on top of a hill which makes it easy to see throughout Tbilisi. It’s the main cathedral building of the Georgian Orthodox Church and they clearly decided that they wanted something quite fancy. It’s all been constructed on Elia Hill (also known as St. Elijah Hill), with some controversy about how much was knocked down to build this.

This repair scaffold gives an indication of the height of the structure. There were numerous things to look at in terms of icons, but these were only described in Georgian, which isn’t unreasonable, although they’d translated the donations box into English.

I must admit, I did find myself questioning just how much money was spent on this and how many donated that perhaps didn’t have much. One of the largest donors to the project was the politician Bidzina Ivanishvili, which does make matters a little more complex in some ways.

It’s 86 metres in height from the bottom of the structure to the top of the tower, which is ten metres shorter than Norwich Cathedral, which is how I tend to compare heights of structures.

One of the lower floors, there’s no shortage of space here.

They managed to build the cathedral but seemed to forget any public toilets. There were some free facilities around a three minute walk away, but they were in pretty terrible condition. It’s all really rather lovely, but there’s a whole question about how much this has cost and where it has come from. It’s not for me to answer that, but it’s hard not to think about it.

After a day of churches and museums, more of which I’ll have to return to, we settled on a Thai restaurant for the evening meal that was handily located near to the hotel.

It was relatively busy when we entered, but I took this photo later on to avoid getting people in. The venue was clean and tidy, with a modern feel to the arrangement.

The menu.

I opted for the chicken green curry which was served as a large portion, as is visible from how much is left after I filled my bowl. The chicken was tender and the curry had a depth of flavour and slight spice level. The rice was also fluffy and everything was served at the appropriate hot temperature.

The beer is the Tatti NZ Pils from the Natakhtari Brewery, which was malty and had a not unpleasant taste.

The beautifully presented spring rolls, which had a nice crunch to them and plenty of vegetable filling. The portion sizes overall meant that I left certainly feeling that I had been served enough food, with the whole lot seeming quite healthy.

The prices here were slightly towards the higher end of the scale, although that appears to be due to the inevitable cost of getting authentic ingredients imported. The service was always friendly, the surroundings were clean and we were never left waiting. They have another branch in the city and it’s positively reviewed on-line, so certainly recommended.

Judging from reviews, some Russians aren’t entirely surprised and delighted at the Soviet Occupation Museum, so this set of exhibits is likely not entirely popular.

On 9 April 1989, there was a large demonstration against Soviet occupation of Georgia. Around 10,000 people gathered in a demonstration calling for independence, which didn’t go down well with the Soviets. The Soviet army took over from local police in an attempt to disperse these pesky protesters with their dream to be free, leading to one of the worst massacres in recent times. The Soviets said that their armed forces defended themselves against an attack, although they also managed to beat a 16 year old girl to death in front of her mother.

It was the end, the people had had enough and 9 April is now a national holiday in the country, called National Unity Day. Political pressure came to a head over the next few months and a referendum was called on 31 March 1991 to decide the country’s future. On a turnout of 90.6%, the Georgian people voted by 99.49% to 0.51% to become independent once again. On 9 April 1991, deliberately two years after the massacre, Georgia became independent.

In the exhibit case in the photo above is a bludgeon used on the protesters and some of the chemicals used on those who wanted freedom.

This is one of the displays at the Soviet Occupation Museum and it tells some of the story of Spiridon Chavchavadze (1878/1879-1952). He was a Georgian nobleman and cavalry officer who rose to the rank of major general in the Imperial Russian Army. He fought in the Russo-Japanese War and then the First World War, but after the communist takeover in Russia he joined the Georgian underground.

After returning to Georgia, he served in the armed forces of the independent Democratic Republic of Georgia, but after Sovietisation he was briefly imprisoned and joined clandestine resistance work under a cover name. When plans for the August 1924 anti-Soviet uprising matured, he was put forward as a commander-in-chief figure and, after the revolt was crushed, escaped with other insurgents over the border, eventually living for years in exile in France while remaining active in émigré politics.

The Russians gave him promises that he would not be prosecuted if her returned to Georgia, so in 1947, he returned to what he considered to be his home country. That promise was promptly ignored and he was then arrested and sent to a Siberian death camp, dying in 1952. He sounds like one very brave man, I can see why the Russians were scared of him.

This is Dimitri Shevardnadze (1885–1937), a Georgian painter who founded the Georgian Art Museum. He trained at the academies in Saint Petersburg and Munich before returning to Tbilisi.

There has been some anger in Russia about this museum, but it’s hard to hide what happened to Shevardnadze. On the orders of Lavrentiy Beria, he was executed in 1937 as part of the Great Purge ordered by Joseph Stalin and he was one of the more prominent Georgian cultural figures who was murdered.

Shortly before his death, Shevardnadze was one of the leading advocates against the planned demolition of Metekhi Church which upset Beria. Fortunately, due to the amount of opposition to the demolition plans, the church was saved and we visited it during our trip. Its survival is thanks to the bravery and integrity of men such as Shevardnadze.

The Soviet Occupation Museum is located on the fourth floor of the Georgian National Museum and it makes its intents very clear by having the displays in English and Georgian only. Not long ago, this museum would have had just about everything translated into Georgian and Russian.

It’s evident that Russian visitors aren’t happy, as Yandex (a Russian site) reviews for this museum are broadly very poor. However, it’s far better reviewed on websites such as Google and the narrative here is very much based on how the Georgian people were denied the freedom that they wanted because of the Soviet occupation.

This museum was condemned by Vladimir Putin so it has caused something of a stir. The museum has defended itself stating that it is simply telling the story of the Soviet occupation of the country, along with the methods which it was governed.

I have some more posts about this and specific exhibits, but I found it an academically rigorous and well curated museum. But, it didn’t pull any punches.

The Georgian National Museum had this photograph of Sir John Oliver Wardrop (1864-1948), who it notes was the first British Chief Commissioner of Transcaucasus in Tbilisi. Having read a little about him, he seems to be a fascinating character and very much a natural diplomat.

Wardrop’s deep connection to the country began in the late nineteenth century when he travelled extensively through the region, eventually publishing his influential work, The Kingdom of Georgia – Notes of Travel in a Land of Women, Wine, and Song, in 1888. This book introduced many English-speaking readers to Georgian history and culture for the first time. Wardrop’s scholarly contributions were substantial as he mastered the Georgian language, which I hope he did with more talent than my Polish efforts, and translated several important literary works.

On a book collection theme, which I like, alongside his sister, Marjory Wardrop, he dedicated much of his life to promoting Georgian heritage in Europe, an effort that culminated in his founding of the Marjory Wardrop Fund and the donation of their extensive collection of manuscripts and books to the Bodleian Library at Oxford University.

Beyond his academic pursuits, Wardrop played a critical role in Georgia’s political history as a diplomat during a time of immense transition. In 1919, he was appointed as the first British Chief Commissioner of Transcaucasia, stationed in Tbilisi during the brief period of the Democratic Republic of Georgia’s independence. During his tenure, he was a staunch advocate for Georgian sovereignty and worked tirelessly to support the young republic amidst the regional instability following the First World War and the Russian Revolution. He’s been rewarded today with a square in the city named after him and what more could he want….

The next day we passed this building, with this plaque noting that it was the offices of Wardrop when he was the British Chief Commissioner in the city.

The building could perhaps do with a little care and attention, but I imagine that it was a bit more decadent when Wardrop was here…..

This was something of a highlight, the Anchiskhati Basilica of St Mary, which is the oldest surviving church in Tbilisi. It dates from the sixth century when it was constructed under the orders of King Dachi of Iberia, although it had been rebuilt on numerous occasions.

The numerous rebuilds are rather evident from the exterior of the building, some of the repairs are rather more impressive than others. A dome was added in the 1870s, but its religious usage was ended during the Soviet occupation and it became used as a museum of handicrafts.

Following the country’s independence in 1991, the basilica once again returned to religious usage and it once again it belongs to the Georgian Orthodox Church.

I honoured this request, but it was a shame as the interior was beautiful and there were elements of history that I wanted to look into further. There are some photos online for those who want to see inside and this was nearly the one church in the city that made this request.

There appear to be problems though, this review is a little heart-breaking and it’s not the only one along these lines.

“I was asked by the priest to write a note for health and peace, immediately after I entered the church, in a rather intrusive manner. I asked him how much it cost, and he said it was for a donation. I agreed, wrote down the names, put 5 lari on top (that was all the cash I had, I even opened my wallet in front of him, besides, it was my first experience with notes), to which I heard from the priest: “no need for anything, is that money?” This broke my heart and my faith in some of the church employees. I was very upset and left the church in tears. It is very offensive that in such a holy and special place people allow themselves such an attitude”

Sub-optimal, although we didn’t experience any negativity when we were there.