კულტურა პლუს 2 (24) 2021

kultura plus / CULTURE PLUS 2 (24) 2021

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2 (24) 2021 s a g a n m a n a T l e b l o - s a z o g a d o e b r i v i

J u r n a l i

sarCevi / CONTENTS `drois WaSi“ macqerali kaci

2

THE MAN WHO LOOKED INTO THE “WELL OF TIME”

„me var... privatuli kaci“

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“I AM A RESERVED MAN”

Tamar mefis saflavi

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QUEEN TAMAR’S GRAVE

gelaTis mozaika, rogorc kedlis mxatvrobis mowinave Zegli

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THE GELATI MOSAIC AS A PROGRESSIVE MONUMENT OF MURAL ART

sad aris qarTuli kultura?

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WHERE IS GEORGIAN CULTURE?

gelaTis monasterSi Catarebul samuSaoTa qronika

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CHRONICLES OF THE WORKS CARRIED OUT AT THE GELATI MONASTERY

artistis gardacvaleba!!!

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THE DEPARTURE OF AN ARTIST!

ozurgeTis Teatri - guSin, dRes, xval...

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THE OZURGETI THEATER – YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW…

dros ar unda CamorCe...

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ONE SHOULDN’T LAG BEHIND TIME…

xelovnebis muzeumSi daculi Tavad ColoyaSvilTa ferweruli portretebi da... axmetis jvarpatiosnis sagvareulo eklesia

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PORTRAITS OF THE CHOLOKASHVILI PRINCES PRESERVED AT THE ART MUSEUM AND THE FAMILY'S JVARPATIOSANI CHURCH IN AKHMETA

saredaqcio jgufi EDITORIAL STAFF xaTuna kereseliZe KHATUNA KERESELIDZE aleqsandre ServaSiZe ALEKSANDRE SHERVASHIDZE ekaterine CulaSvili EKATERINE CHULASHVILI ioseb feiqriSvili IOSEB PEIKRISHVILI revaz iukuriZe REVAZ IUKURIDZE

dizaineri DESIGNER nikoloz bagrationi NIKOLOZ BAGRATIONI

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gamodis kvartalSi erTxel JurnalSi ganTavsebuli masalis gamoyeneba SeiZleba mxolod redaqciis TanxmobiT

Issued quarterly The materials published in this magazine cannot be used without the authorization of the editorial staff

ISSN 2346-8165

garekanze: rezo gabriaZe, ucxo Citi (Serekilebi) Cover: Rezo Gabriadze, The Eccentrics

2 (24) 2021

nanuli cxvediani

`drois WaSi“ macqerali kaci (ubralod, Cemi rezo gabriaZe)

Nanuli Tskhvediani

The man who looked into the “well of time” (Simply my Rezo Gabriadze) „me dedikos Svili viyavi, wignebs vkiTxulobdi, sufTa sayelo mqonda. imdenad kargi wamosartymeli viyavi TavSi, rom iSviaTad Tu daiklebda vinme am siamovnebas, garda vinme mivlinebulis, CemodniT xelSi, an kubos Seyudebuli Wirisuflisa, Tumca ori mcdeloba iyo, erTi fexiTac _ gasvenebis dros.“ geRimebaT... da, ra Tqma unda, avtoric umal amoicaniT: aseTi

“I was a mommy’s boy. I read books and kept my collar clean. My head took such good hits that it was rare for someone to pass on that pleasure, except for people running errands with suitcases in their hands or carrying a coffin; I can, however, recall two attempts at hitting me during a funeral, one of them with a kick”.

You are now smiling…

And of course, you have already recognized the author. This literary style, similar to a naive painting technique, to describe characters, the

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mwerluri maneriT, TiTqosda naivuri mxatvrobis teqnikiT, xom mxolod rezo gabriaZe xatavs Tavis personaJebs, mxolod mis kalams sCvevia, am or-sam mokle frazaSi erTdroulad Caatios TviTmyofadi iumoric, poeturi sevdac da pirvelqmnili bavSvuri siwmindec. erTxel man Tqva: `mignebebi da gamogonebebi Semoqmedebis yvelaze mTavari mtrebia“. mis kalams sxvaTagan swored uCveulo bunebrioba da gulwrfeloba gamoarCevs. gabriaZis literaturuli iumori imdenad araordinarulia, imdenad srulyofilia, rom frazebs arsad etyoba `nawiburi“, ostatis namuSakevi; WeSmariti folkloruli margalitebis darad _ igi moulodneli, sada da ubraloa. swored am ubraloebaSia misi sidiadec. ai, gavixsenoT Tundac genialuri `Serekilebi~ (filmic da nawarmoebic, romelsac Tavad avtorma „poema“ uwoda): `sirbilaZem Wiqa sufraze dado da yuri daafina gulze mizanas.

brevity of his phrases, their poetic sorrow, unique humor and childlike innocence – this is Rezo Gabriadze...

He is quoted as saying that nothing harms art more than invention and contrivance. What sets him apart from other writers is his infinite naturalness and utter sincerity. Gabriadze’s literary humor is so extraordinary and accomplished that his phrases do not seem “scarred”. They are a master’s work, pearls of true folklore. He is spontaneous, plain, and simple. And is precisely in this simplicity that you can find his greatness.

Let us recall the wonderful “Sherekilebi” (both the movie and the book, which the author himself refers to as a “poem”): “Sirbiladze put a glass on the table and pressed his ear on Mizana’s chest.

– He was returned to its rightful owner! Sirbiladze muttered.

– Was he? Ertaozi could not understand.

– He kicked the bucket, explained Sibriladze.

– The bucket?

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_ Cabarda patrons! _ Tqva Cumad sirbilaZem. _ Cabarda? _ ver gaerkva erTaozi. _ gevida gaRma, _ ganmarta sirbilaZem. _ gaRma? _ marilze. _ CayvinTa uZiro qarTulSi sirbilaZem. _ marilze? _ mokvda, Se upatrono, mokvda! wevida da weiRo Cemi sami koka Rvino miqel-gabrielTan. _ mizana, biWo! _ ikivla erTaozma da mamas mkerdze daemxo. _ rafra damexarje, rafra damivardi gzaSi, Cemo medroSe! ro veRar Wam awi! ro veRar dalev? ra udrovod gamicivdi. ase simReraSi miicvala mizana bregvaZe erT gaRletil Semodgomas. aeSva caSi xma da veRar daibruna, amoisunTqa da veRar Caasesxa. amoiRliava yavari da sasuleTSi gadainacvla, vardis yanaSi, bumbulis baliSze, murabebis taStebis salokavad.“ `drois WaSi vixedebi...“ _ ambobs erTgan rezo gabriaZe da Zneli ar aris, SeniSno, ra sisxlxorceuladaa misi

– He bought the farm. Sirbiladze delved deeper into bottomless Georgian expressions.

– The farm?

– He died, you fool, he died! He died and carried three jars of wine he owed me to archangels Michael and Gabriel.

– Hey, Mizana! Ertaoz shouted as he fell on his dead father’s body.

How could you have withered and faded, how could you have dropped halfway through the marathon, my flag-bearer! What will you eat or drink now? You’ve gone all numb and cold...

Thus he died, Mizana Bregvadze, while singing, on one lusterless autumn day. Got his voice out of his throat and did not get it back; borrowed breath which he could not return... picked up a shingle and departed to the world of departed spirits; to the field of roses; to repose his head on a cushion of feather; to lick jars of jam.”

“I keep peering into the well of time…” Rezo Gabriadze once said and indeed, his novels open up a world with childhood memories and impressions lurking within. The spirit of post-war Kutaisi, its streets and familiar silhouettes get tangled in the nostalgic layers of the past – a recurring theme in the work of Rezo Gabriadze. He molds

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Semoqmedeba dakavSirebuli adreul bavSvobaSi nanaxgancdilTan. swored aq, warsulis nostalgiur SreebSi, ikveTeba gabriaZis usayvarlesi Tema _ omisSemdgomi quTaisi, misi quCebi da nacnobi siluetebi. mwerlisa da dramaturgis mravali gmiri daatarebs bavSvobis zmanebebidan gamoxmobil am tkivilsa da sixaruls, fiqrsa da ocnebas, usaTuTes grZnobebsa da emociebs. quTaisi, mSobliuri qalaqi, gabriaZis stiqiaa _ aq mas drois Widan amohyavs warmtaci Temebi da pasaJebi, ulamazes gviristebs avlebs Tavis ukidegano fantazias, uCveulod poetur iumors. quTaisi da rezo gabriaZe _ es xom maradi Sewyvilebaa, ganuyofeli grZnobaTSexamebaa. `saqarTvelos sxva kuTxezec damiweria rame, vTqvaT, kaxeTze, Tbilisze. magram yovelTvis vubrundebi Cems quTaiss. iq, quTaissa, banojasa da gumbrins Soris monakveTi udris, daaxloebiT, petriaSvilis quCasa da universitets Soris manZils. am monakveTSi moqceuli iyo mTeli Cemi samyaro. ai, am samkuTxedSi dafrinavda Citi boria.“ _ ambobs rezo gabriaZe. da isRa dagrCenia, patara quTaiseli biWis, varlamis „samakatkaze“ Sedga cali fexi da siyvaruliT Camouqrolo Zveli quTaisis qvafenilian quCebs; an Citi borias poeturi frTebiT ifrino da Tavisuflebis fasi SeigrZno; an kidev _ rionis rkinigzis sadgurSi Seeswro Seqspiruli vnebebis aboboqrebas ori ZvelisZveli orTqlmavlis _ ermonis (ИС-235) da ramonas (ЖД-135) siyvarulis magaliTze. mxolod rezo gabriaZis kalams sCvevia, ase lamazad giTxras: `aris quTaisSi haeris erTi moZraoba, aRarc qaria ukve da arc niavia. jer glicerinis suni aqvs, Tbilia, uqmia, zedmetad zrdilobiani. Cemi neba rom iyos, me mas liziko gabunias davarqmevdi da quTaisis pedinstitutSi Cavricxavdi franguli enis fakultetze ugamocdod.“ rezo gabriaZis weris Tavisebureba isicaa, rom mis qmnilebebSi mxatvruli gmirebi quTaisuri sazogadoebis cnobil warmomadgenelTa gverdiT cxovroben da Tanaarseboben. Sesabamisad, mkiTxvelTa farTo auditoriidan sruliad gansxvavebul, ucnaur situaciaSi aRmoCndeba xolme sakuTriv quTaiseli mkiTxveli, romelsac is gansakuTrebuli privilegia aqvs, rom paralelurad uwevs realurad arsebuli Tu gamogonili gmirebis aRqma. eqimi isak minoviCi, quTaisis usrulyofilesi kaci dimitri gelovani, artistebi Tamara kiknaZe, Tiko RviniaSvili, mxatvari valiko mizandari, ilo fotografi, mdivani narsia, boria bregaZe (Citi borias prototipi), domna bebia da kidev ramdeni sayvareli, pativsacemi adamianis saxeli Caesmis... isini gabriaZis biografiidan, misi bavSvobidan da yrmobidan faqizad gamoxmobili siluetebia. da maT gverdiT trialeben, stkivaT, uxariaT, ocneboben, azrovneben mwerlis warmosaxviT Seqmnili personaJebic, romelTa

most of his characters into inherently childish personalities carrying reminiscences of bygone days – days of joy and sorrow, dreams and musings, innermost feelings and emotions.

Kutaisi is a favourite hobby-horse for Gabriadze – it is where he found the well of time to delve into and pull up a bewildering array of stories and passages, which he spices up with poetic humour and which imbed themselves in his soaring imagination. Kutaisi and Rezo Gabriadze are an eternal duo, an organic synthesis of feelings.

“I’ve written about other parts of Georgia as well, about Kakheti and Tbilisi, for example... but I always end up in Kutaisi. The distance between Kutaisi, Banoja and Gumbrini is equal to that between Petriashvili Street and the University, and the triangle formed by these three settlement points is where my world is located, where my bird called Boria used to fly” – Rezo Gabriadze says leaving us with no other option but to set one foot on the scooter of Varlam – a little Kutaisian boy and swish down the cobbled streets of Kutaisi; or to put on the poetic wings of Boria the bird and learn the price of freedom; or to witness a whirlwind of passions à la Shakespeare between two oldish steam-engines: Ermoni (ИС- 235) and Ramona (ЖД-135) at the Rioni railway station.

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Only Rezo Gabriadze could say it this way: “The movement of the air in Kutaisi can never rise to a wind, nor can it drop to a breeze. It smells of glycerin and is delightfully mellow, comfortably soothing and unfailingly polite. I would gladly call it Liziko Gabunia and would even enroll it (without exams) at the French language department of the Kutaisi Pedagogical Institute”.

Still another distinguishing feature of Rezo Gabriadze’s characters is that they live and co-exist with their real-life prototypes. The reader (audience) has a hard time distinguishing or drawing a line between the real and the imaginary. Doctor Isak Minovich; the most perfect man in Kutaisi – Dimitri Gelovani; artists Tamara Kiknadze and Tiko Ghviniashvili; sculptor Valiko Mizandari; Photographer Ilo; Secretary

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Soris, SesaZloa, saintereso prototipTa krebiTi, ganzogadebuli saxeebic Seicno... man quTaisiT da okribiT daiwyo da sruliad samyaro moicva. gabriaZis gmirebi zogadsakacobrio idealebs SeWidebuli rigiTi qarTvelebi arian, Tumca maTi fiqrebi da vnebebi nebismieri erovnebis adamianisTvis SeiZleba iyos metad saintereso da misaRebi. amitomacaa, dRemde uzarmazari auditoria hyavs rezo gabriaZis scenarebis mixedviT gadaRebul filmebs (`mimino~, `ar daidardo~, `qin-ZaZa~, `Serekilebi~, `araCveulebrivi gamofena~ da a.S.). xolo qarTvel marionetebs, reJisorma, dramaturgma da mxatvarma rezo gabriaZem rom STabera maradi suli, msoflios mraval kuTxeSi ukravdnen taSs; sruli anSlagiT idgmeboda: `alfredi da violeta~, `marSal de fanties briliantebi~, `trapizundis imperatoris qaliSvili~, `stalingradi~, `ramona~, `quTaisi~, `ra

Narsia, Bora Bregvadze (the prototype for Bora the bird), grandma Domna and other well-known figures of Kutaisi come to mind…

They are carefully carved silhouettes from Gabriadze’s childhood and young adult life. The characters created by the writer live, spin, cry, laugh, dream, and think next to them. Among them, it is possible to discover interesting prototypes.

He started with Kutaisi and Okriba and covered the whole world.

Rezo Gabriadze’s characters represent rank-and- le Georgians squaring up to profound and universal problems. Their thoughts and passions, however, may echo in the hearts of people of any other nationality. The greatest movies of all time based on Rezo Gabriadze’s screenplays (“Mimino” (Sparrow-hawk), “Ar Daidardo” (Don’t Worry), “Kin-dza-dza!”, “Sherekilebi” (Screwballs), “Arachveulebrivi Gamopena” (Unusual Exhibition) continue to stand the test of time. The Puppet Theatre that came into being through the e orts of Rezo Gabriadze – director, playwright and artist – still draws in capacity audiences, and

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sevdaa _ xeivani dasrulda“, `akrZaluli Soba anu eqimi da avadmyofi~... sul axlaxan, 86 wlis asakSi, dasrulda didi maestros, „drois WaSi“ macqerali kacis Tavgadasavali. pandemiis pirobebis miuxedavad, mkiTxvelisa da mayureblis mozrdili talRa miacilebda ukanasknel gzaze. isic simboluri iyo, rom samareSi peSvebiT Caayoles mamapapur okribasa da quTaisis mwvaneyvavilas panTeonSi sagangebod aRebuli Zvirfasi miwac. cac ise lamazi da gansxvavebuli iyo mTawmindis Tavze, rogorc Serekilebis ukanasknel mogzaurobaSi aRwera: `_ aaa, _ naRvlianad Tqva qristeforem, _ ds gayofili ds-ze udris nuls... _ S ki udris konstantas. _ Cumad Tqva erTaozma da Tvalebi aucremlda. isev gamoCnda maT Tavze

the puppet shows: “Alfred and Violetta”, “Marshal de Fantie’s Diamond”, “Emperor of Trebizond’s Daughter”, “Stalingrad”, “Ramona”, “Kutaisi”, “What a Pity, the Path is Over”, “Prohibited Christmas or the Doctor and the Patient” are greeted with thunderous applause all over the world.

Recently, at the age of 86, the adventures of the man who peered into the “well of time” came to an end. Despite the restrictions due to the pandemic, a huge wave of readers and viewers escorted him on his final road. It was symbolic how they put flowers treasured in Kutaisi and Okriba onto his coffin.

The sky was so beautiful and different in Mtatsminda, just like on the last trip in Sherekili. ““Oh…” Christopher said sadly. “ds divided by ds equals zero… S is a constant.” Ertaoz said quietly with his eyes starting to water. A blue,

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lurji, uZiro, sulis wamRebi ca _ mamazecieris wamieri saCuqari, da yvelaferi gaqra.~ dRes misi sicocxle genialuri SemoqmedebiT grZeldeba. quCaSic ki SeiZleba, ubralo, rigiTi adamianisagan moismino: _ Cvens qalaqSi aseTi dimitria, gelovani! _ siyvaruli vertikaluria da Tanac brunvadi!.. _ me mivxvdi, rom is is aris da is mixvda, rom me me var. da es, raRac, imaze metia, vidre xelovnebis zemoqmedeba masaze. es, ubralod, didi rezo gabriaZea _ Cemi rezo gabriaZe, Seni rezo gabriaZe, misi rezo gabriaZe.

bottomless sky appeared above them, a momentary gift from the Heavenly Father. And then, everything disappeared.”

To this day, his life and genius works continue to live. In the street, you can hear random people say: – In our city, there is a man named Dimitri Gelovani!

– Love is vertical and rotating, at the same time!...

– I realized that he is he and he realized that I am me.

And somehow, this is more than the impact of art on masses. This is the great Rezo Gabriadze, my Rezo Gabriadze, our Rezo Gabriadze, your Rezo Gabriadze.

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ia anTaZis interviu zurab kiknaZesTan

„me var... privatuli kaci“ “I AM A RESERVED MAN” Ia Antadze's interview with Zurab Kiknadze

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_ batono zurab, TqvenTan saubari minda daviwyo im TemiT, riTac interviu davasrule Cvens wina stumarTan, baton vaxtang kaxiZesTan. mas vTxove, komentari gaekeTebina amerikeli poetis, edvard kamingsis (1894-1962) citataze: „roca ca daemxoba da okeaneebi daSreba, adamiani darCeba erTaderT saidumlod“. Tqven ra amoikiTxeT am sityvebSi? _ is amovikiTxe, rac weria. ra Tqma unda, samyaro, misi arseboba, didi saidumloa, magram adamiani kidev ufro meti saidumloa. ramdeni saukune gavida, bunebis kanonebi Secnobilia, magram adamianze Zalian cota ram viciT. adamiani Seucnobeli darCa ise, rogorc adre, roca mecniereba mis Sesaxeb ar arsebobda. paradoqsia, rom is arseba, romelic Tavad aris adamiani, ar icnobs adamians. ar icis, vin aris Tavad, rogorc arseba, ar icnobs Tavis Tavs, rogorc pirovnebas _ vin aris, saidan modis, ra siRrmeebSi aqvs fesvi. SeiZleba, sikvdilis win Seicnos sakuTari Tavi da mixvdes, vin aris. magram manamde, sanam Cafluli varT am cxovrebaSi, am davidarabaSi, yoveldRiurobaSi, _ Cvens Tavs yuradRebas ar vaqcevT, ar vuRrmavdebiT. ufro metad garesamyaro gvainteresebs. _ gamodis, samyaroze bevrad meti codna daagrova kacobriobam, xolo adamianis Sesaxeb codnaSi nela mivdivarT win.

Zalian nela. amisTvis iRvwis filosofia, religia, poezia. sabunebismetyvelo mecnierebac swavlobs adamians, magram, mainc, adamiani ra aris, gaugebaria saerTod, misi arsebobis sazriss ver wvdeba adamiani. _ minda, saidumlos Tema gavagrZeloT. erT werilSi Tqven axseneT SiSi saidumlos mimarT, rac Tanamedrove samyaros axasiaTebs. agreTve, Tqven werdiT: „Tanamedrove cnobiereba isea mowyobili, rom mas ar SeuZlia raime saidumlos atana. man Tavisi racionaluri mecnierebiT da filosofiiT gaauqma yovelnairi saidumlo.“ raSi vlindeba es SiSi saidumlos mimarT? adamians ar surs, rom sadme raime saidumlod darCes. ara marto sxvisi, aramed Tavisic. yvelaferi xelisgulze unda iyos. televizia amas xels uwyobs. yvelafers aSuqebs. adamianebs surT, maTi cxovrebis detalebi yvelasTvis cnobili gaxdes. SeiZleba, es SiSic aris _ ucnobad, saidumloebad darCenis SiSi. _ imasac ki werdiT, rom gaumJRavnebeli saidumlo sisustis da arasrulfasovnebis gancdas warmoqmniso.

CemTvis es cota gaugebaria. ase vwerdi? piriqiT. roca saidumlos inaxav, xom ufro Zlieri xar, vidre maSin, roca gascem? adamianma unda Seinaxos saidumlo. es mas aZlierebs. magram dRes bevri ase ar fiqrobs. mecnierebac cdilobs, rom yvelaferi, rac ki samyaroSia, bolomde Seicnos. magram, rogorc Cans, rac arsebiTia, mainc rCeba da darCeba Seucnobeli. Tavad arsebobis sazrisia Seucnobeli principulad.

– Mr. Zurab, I would like to start our conversation with the subject that ended the interview with my last guest, Mr. Vakhtang Kakhidze. I asked him to comment this quote by American poet Edward Cummings (1894-1962): “When skies are hanged and oceans drowned, the single secret will still be man”.

What do you read in these words?

– I read in them what is written in them. Of course, the world, its existence, is a great mystery, but humans are an even greater one. Many centuries have passed, the laws of nature have been understood, but we know very little about humans. The human being has remained as unintelligible as it was before scientists started studying it. It is a paradox that the human being itself doesn’t know humans. It doesn’t know who it is itself as a being, it doesn’t know itself as a person – who it is, where it comes from, in what depths its roots lie. But before we get entangled in this life, in this chaos, in everyday life – we do not pay attention to ourselves, we do not get into any depths in this regard. We are more interested in the outer world.

– So humanity has accumulated much more knowledge about the world, but we are much slower when it comes to knowledge about humans.

– Much slower. This is the path philosophy, religion, and poetry are pursuing. Natural sciences study the human too, but still, the essence of humans remains incomprehensible, and we cannot reach its meaning.

– I would like to continue on the theme of secrecy. In an article, you mentioned the fear of secrets characteristic of the modern world. You also wrote: “Modern consciousness cannot bear any secret. With its rational science and philosophy, it abolished all kinds of secrets.” Where can this fear of secrets manifest itself?

– People do not want to keep any secrets, be they their own or others’. Everything should be explicit. Television encourages this. It broadcasts everything. People want everyone to know all the little details of their lives. Perhaps this is a fear – the fear of remaining a secret.

– You even wrote that an unrevealed secret leaves an impression of weakness and unwholesomeness. I think I didn’t quite understand what you meant by this.

– Did I write this? I think the contrary. When you keep a secret, you are stronger than when you reveal it, aren’t you? People should keep their secrets. It makes them stronger. But today, many people think differently. Even science is trying to fully comprehend everything that exists. But it seems that the essence of things remains and will remain a mystery. The notion of existence itself is impenetrable.

– “Transparency” and “public” have become common terms in today’s world. At a glance, transparency is linked to state structures and officials, and to their accountability. But the popularity of Facebook, TV and reality shows, and hidden camera recordings show that this “openness” can also sneak into the secrets of common, everyday people. How did something that should only have concerned the public space insinuate oneself into our private lives?

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_ Tanamedrove samyarosTvis organuli terminebia „gamWvirvaleba“ da „sajarooba“. erTi SexedviT, gamWvirvalebis moTxovna saxelmwifo uwyebebs da Cinovnikebs exeba, maT angariSvaldebulebas. Tumca, feisbukis, serialebis, Souebis da faruli Canawerebis popularoba imas mianiSnebs, rom sajaroobas konkretuli adamianis saidumloSi SeRwevis unaric aRmoaCnda. is, rac mxolod sajaro sivrces unda Sexeboda, pirad sivrceSi rogor da ratom gadmovida?

Tu adamianis mowodebaa, rom sajaro samsaxurSi Cadges, ra Tqma unda, misi yoveli saqmianoba gamWvirvale unda iyos. magram es ar vrceldeba pirad, intimur cxovrebaze. adamianis piradi cxovreba aravis ar unda ainteresebdes.

Tumca, axla es danergilia, miRebulia da pretenzias aravin gamoTqvams imis gamo, rom misi saidumlo gacxadda.

Jurnalistebic yvelafers da yvelas aSuqeben da es moswons msmenel-mayurebelsac da masac, visac aSuqeben. _ albaT, SeiZleba iTqvas, rom Cven vcxovrobT epoqaSi, sadac SefuTva ufro mniSvnelovania, vidre Sinaarsi. es exeba adamianebsac, nivTebsac, movlenebsac. ra SeiZleba iyos am procesis grZelvadiani Sedegi?

Tu warsuls gadavxedavT, davinaxavT, rom epoqebi gansxvavdeba erTmaneTisgan. iyo epoqa, rodesac yvelafers gansazRvravda religia, medicinasac ki. magram aris epoqa, rodesac goneba modis win da mecniereba imarjvebs, mecniereba gansazRvravs yvelafers. dRes, TiTqos, orive faqtori moqmedebs. magram ar marTldeba prognozi, rom, mecnierebis ganviTarebasTan erTad, religiis gavlena daiklebs da nulamde dava. _ Tqven msoflio tendenciaze saubrobT. saqarTveloSi ki eg balansi darRveulia. saqarTvelo Tu msoflios ekuTvnis, isic am tendencias wayveba. es wayola Tu Cayola yvela sferoSi Cans, literaturaSi, yofaSi... dRes CvenSi Zalian didi wona aqvs eklesias, religiurobas da xandaxan amiT gansazRvraven adamianis mdgomareobas sazogadoebaSi. _ disbalansia samecniero azrsa da religiur azrs Soris. diax, orive mxare erTmaneTs cota almacerad uyurebs.

Tumca, religiur gamocdilebaSic aris formalizmi da SefuTva. sajaro pirisgan moiTxoven misi religiuri aRmsareblobis Sesaxeb informacias. es ar aris sajaro saqme. es piradi saqmea. _ adamianis zneobis safuZveli gonebaa Tu grZnobebi? adamianis qceva misi mTliani pirovnebidan modis. arc mxolod grZnobidan, arc mxolod gonebidan. adamiani mTeli Tavisi bunebiT moqmedebs. aq misi warsuli gamocdilebac Semodis. xan grZnoba Warbobs, xan goneba. goneba, rogorc akropolisi, emociebze unda batonobdes. _ Zalian popularuli islandieli momRerali da kompozitori qali _ biorki erT interviuSi ambobs: „21-e saukuneSi aRar aris liderebis dro. axla is droa, roca TiToeulma adamianma unda eZebos ara lideri, aramed

– If it is someone’s call to become a public servant, then of course, all of their actions should be transparent. But this doesn’t extend to their private, intimate lives. Nobody should be interested in someone’s private life. But now, it is normal, and nobody expresses any complaint when their secret becomes public. Journalists also publish and broadcast everything and everybody, and spectators, readers, or listeners like that, as do the people who find themselves in these pieces of news.

– It could be said that in our times, the packaging is more important than the product itself. This is also true of people.

Of events. What could be the long-term consequences of this process?

– If we take a look into the past, we will see how epochs can differ from one another. There were times when everything was determined by religion, or even medicine. But there are times when reason comes first, and science prevails and determines our choices. Today, it seems that both factors are present. But the prediction that in parallel to the growth of science, the influence of religion will decrease and disappear, turned out inaccurate.

– You are talking about a global tendency. In Georgia, this balance is not the same.

– If Georgia belongs to the world, it will also follow this tendency.

This trailing can be noticed in every field, in literature, the way of life...

Today, the Church and religiosity have acquired great importance in our country, and sometimes, the situation of a person in our society is assessed according to these factors.

– There is an imbalance between the scientific way of thinking and the religious one.

– Yes, both sides look at each other with some disdain. But formalism, for instance, exists in religion too. People want to know what faith public figures follow. This isn’t of public concern. This is a private matter.

– What are the foundations of morals – reason or feelings?

– The actions of humans come from their personality as a whole.

Not solely from their feelings or reason. People act according to their entire nature. Their past experiences also come into play. Sometimes feelings prevail, sometimes it is reason. Reason should govern emotions, the Acropolis.

– In an interview, the very popular Icelandic female singer and composer Bjork said: “The 21st century doesn’t need leaders. Now is a time for each individual to search not for a leader, but for one’s own mission, and to try to achieve the latter.” Do you agree with that idea? What would a society in which everyone is one’s own boss look like?

– Leadership is indispensable, but it also contains risks. We have been proven that time and time again. But in general, people have needed a guide in every epoch. Masses cannot take responsibility and decide for themselves which path they should follow or what action they should take. Masses aren’t individuals, who act according to their own decisions.

– Is it the same in the 21st century?

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_ sakuTari misia da am misiis ganxorcieleba cados“. eTanxmebiT am azrs? rogoria sazogadoeba, romelSic yvela TviTon aris lideri? lideroba aucilebelia, Tumca, xifaTic moaqvs. xSirad davrwmunebulvarT amaSi. magram, saerTod, yvela epoqaSi adamianebs sWirdebodaT winamZRoli. masas ar SeuZlia, pasuxismgebloba ikisros da TviTon gadawyvitos, TavisiT gamonaxos gza, saiT wavides, an rogor imoqmedos. masa xom pirovneba ar aris, rom Tavisi arCevaniT moqmedebdes. _ 21-e saukuneSic igivea? jerjerobiT, CvenTan araferi Secvlila. axla arCevnebis periodia. iqmneba iluzia, rom am arCevnebiT xalxma unda Tqvas Tavisi sityva. xalxi Tavis sityvas ver ambobs verasodes, mas sxva viRac, „cnobadi“ saxe aTqmevinebs. sad aris demokratia, demosis mmarTveloba? is demosic ar arsebobs, berZnuli polisis cxovrebaSi rom monawileobda. _ CvenTan Tu saerTod? arsad. _ ratom? ras gulisxmobT? ra vici, rogor giTxraT. xalxi arasodes aris kmayofili Tavisi arCevaniT. meore dResve ganxiblulia. rogor unda mixvdes, rom misi arCevani gaamarTlebs? vinc sikeTes hpirdeba, arc imas aqvs garantia, SeZlebs Tu vera Tavisi pirobis Sesrulebas. _ yovelTvis ara. amerikaSi ronald reigani rom airCies, 69 wlis iyo. amis Semdeg kidev meored airCies da ambobdnen, imdenad kargi prezidentia, konstitucia xom ar SevcvaloT da mesame vadiT xom ar avirCioTo. Zalian kargi. es gamonaklisebia. dRes amerikaSic ukmayofiloa xalxi Tavisi prezidentis, miuxedavad imisa, rom airCies. Tumca, iq arCevnebis sxvanairi, ufro rTuli sistemaa. _ Tqvens erT sajaro leqciaze TqviT, rom adamians sami faqtori aqcevs pirovnebad: Tavisuflebisken swrafva, arCevani da Semoqmedeba. roca vambobT, xalxs winamZRoli da lideri sWirdebao, imitom xom ar sWirdeba, rom CvenTan jer kidev cudi niadagia pirovnebebis warmosaqmnelad? ra aris pirovneba? gadawyvetilebas unda iRebde da pasuxs unda agebde imaze, rasac akeTeb. dRes es dakargulia. adamians aviwydeba, ra gaakeTa da, bunebrivia, arc pasuxs agebs. arc aravin sTxovs pasuxs. _ Cemi stumrebi, romlebic SemoqmedebiT da akademiur wreebs warmoadgenen _ sul pasuxismgeblobaze saubroben. xolo „gareT“, sajaro sivrceSi, sul uflebebze saubari ismis. ai, amaSia saqme! ra aris ufro mniSvnelovani pirovnebaSi _ pasuxismgebloba Tu ufleba? dRes aris uflebebis bumi. yoveldRiurad axal-axal uflebaze keTdeba aqcenti. uflebebis kanonmdeblobac arsebobs, Camowerilia yvelaferi _ rogor SegiZlia gamoiyeno es uflebebi.

– For now, nothing has changed here. We are currently into an election campaign, and there is the illusion that with these elections, people have their say. People are never able to have their say, they are made to say whatever they say by someone else, someone “recognizable”. Where is democracy, the rule of the demos? The demos of the Greek polis itself doesn’t exist anymore.

– In Georgia, or in general?

– Nowhere.

– Why? What do you mean?

– I don’t know how to put it. People are never satisfied of themselves. They are disillusioned the very next day. How could they know that their decision will turn out to be the right one? Even those who promise kindness cannot guarantee that they will be able to keep their promise.

– Not all the time. When they elected Ronald Reagan in the USA, he was 69 years old. After that, they elected him for a second term, and people were saying that he was such a good president that they were wondering if they should change the constitution and elect him for a third term.

– Very good. That’s an exception. Today, people in America are unhappy with their president, despite the fact that they elected him.

But the election system is different there, it is more complex than ours.

– In one of your public lectures, you said that people become individuals through three factors: their longing for freedom, choice, and creativity. When we say that people need a guide and leader, isn’t it because we do not have good grounds for people to become individuals?

– What is an individual? You should make your own decisions and take responsibility for your actions. Today, this is not the case. People even forget what they did, and naturally, they don’t take responsibility either. Nobody holds them accountable anyway.

– My guests, who mainly represent creative and academic circles, always speak about responsibility. “Outside” of these circles, in the public space, people always talk about rights.

– That’s the thing! What is more important in an individual –

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2 (24) 2021

magram pasuxi rom unda ago raRacaze, es ar aris gacnobierebuli. _ uflebebi aqtualuria imitom, rom adamianis unikalurobas ukavSirdeba: TiToeuli adamiani unikaluria, amitom Tanasworia da TiToeulis uflebebi Tanabrad unda iyos daculi. amas xom eTanxmebiT? diax, adamians sicocxlis ufleba aqvs, swavlis ufleba aqvs, Tavisufali sityvis ufleba aqvs, gamoTqmis ufleba aqvs, magram rogor aris gagebuli es ukanaskneli ufleba? rasac ginda, ityvi da pasuxs ar ageb. adamianis, rogorc moraluri arsebis, mTavari ganzomileba pasuxismgeblobaa, ara ufleba. _ ra unda moxdes sazogadoebaSi, rom pasuxismgeblobis Tema ufro aqtualuri gaxdes da dabalansdes uflebebis dacva da pasuxismgeblobis gancda? ra vici, rogor giTxraT? es saidan unda modiodes? sazogadoeba TviTon unda eZebdes da amxeldes upasuxismgeblobas. Torem uflebebi adamians aborotebs kidec, Tavis Tavze araadekvatur warmodgenas uqmnis. _ arasamTavrobo organizaciebi bunebrivad laparakoben uflebebze. magram, rogorc aRmoCnda, xelovnebis da akademiuri wris adamianebi aseve bunebrivad laparakoben pasuxismgeblobebze, oRond, maTi xma naklebad ismis. gind xelovani iyos, gind moazrovne iyos, Tavis sityvaze, Semoqmedebaze pasuxs unda agebdes. ra Tqma unda, gamoTqmis ufleba aqvs, magram es gamoTqma pasuxismgeblobis qveS unda iyos. SenSi unda iyos is, rac Sens gamoTqmas da gamoxatvas akontrolebs. magram adamians ar surs, iyos akropolisi. _ rodesac aleqsandre jejelavam nacarqeqia gaakritika, Tqven dawereT ganmarteba imis Sesaxeb, rom nacarqeqia ori tipis adamians ganasaxierebs _ mWvretels da imas, visac moqmedeba SeuZlia. igi xilulSi uxilavs xedavs da sagnebis siRrmeSi iyureba. nacarqeqia xom ar aris qarTveli adamianis saxe, romelic, geografiidan Tu kulturis istoriidan gamomdinare, aRmosavlur da dasavlur bunebas _ anu Wvretas da qmedebas aerTebda Tavis TavSi? ara, ase ar vfiqrob. es universaluri fenomenia, ar aris mxolod qarTuli movlena. nacarqeqias zogjer luarsab TaTqariZes adareben. magram nacris qeqvas sizarmacesTan aranairi kavSiri ar aqvs. germanelma filosofosma iozef piperma nacarqeqias Temas mTeli wigni miuZRvna _ „mocliloba, rogorc kulturis safuZveli“; roca konkretuli saqme ar gaqvs gansaxorcielebeli, magram CaRrmavebuli xar raime saganSi, ginda nacarSi, sadac cecxlis kvalia; Tu ginda, Sens TavSi. mWvreteloba ar aris sizarmace. garedan ki ase Cans, rom zarmaci xar, moclili xar, arafris mkeTebeli xar, usaqmuri xar. usaqmuroba, romelic sizarmaces Camohgavs, Tavisufal droSi yofnaa, roca sulier aqtivobas exsneba gza. kultura swored amgvari yofidan aris amozrdili. pragmatuli fusfusi

responsibility or rights? Today, there is a boom of rights. You hear about new rights every day. There are laws about rights, every way to use those rights is written down clearly. But the notion that you have to take responsibility for your actions is not acknowledged.

– Rights are topical because they are linked to the unique character of individuals: each person is unique, and therefore they are equal, and the rights of each person should be defended equally. Don’t you agree?

– Yes, people have the right to live, to get educated, to express themselves freely, but how is freedom of expression, for instance, understood? You can say whatever you want and not take responsibility for it. As moral beings, the most important dimension of humans is responsibility, not rights.

– What should happen in our society for the notion of responsibility to become more relevant, and for the importance of defending rights and taking responsibility to become more balanced?

– What can I say? Where should it come from? Society should look for and expose irresponsibility. Because rights can even make people mean, they make people think too highly of themselves.

– Non-governmental organizations spontaneously talk about rights. But it turns out that artists and academicians speak just as spontaneously about responsibility, though their voices are less heard.

– Be they artists or thinkers, they should take responsibility for their words. Of course, they have the right to express anything, but this expression should fall under responsibility. You should internally control what you say and express. But people do not want to be Acropolises.

– When Aleksandre Jejelava criticized ‘Natsarkekia’ [“Ashrummager”, classic Georgian tale about a lazy person], you wrote a commentary about it, saying that ‘Natsarkekia’ represents two types of people – lookers-on and those who can take action. He sees the invisible in visible things, and looks into the depths of objects. Isn’t Natsarkekia the image of Georgian people, who, because of the geography or history of the country, unites the Eastern and Western natures – or in other words, passivity and action?

– No, I don’t think so. This is a universal phenomenon, it is not a uniquely Georgian thing. Sometimes, they compare Natsarkekia to Luarsab Tatkaridze. But rummaging ash doesn’t have anything to do with laziness. German philosopher Joseph Pieper devoted a whole book to the subject of ‘Natsarkekia’ – ‘Leisure, the basis of culture’; you know, when you don’t have anything specific to do, but you are plunged into something, be it ashes, ashes that used to be fire; or be it in your own thoughts. Being a looker-on doesn’t equate being lazy.

From the outside, it might seem that you are lazy, that you have time to spare, that you are a good-for-nothing, an idler. Being idle might look like being lazy, but it is actually experiencing free time, in which roads towards spiritual activity can appear. Culture has emerged precisely from that state. Pragmatic fuss does not create culture. In

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ar qmnis kulturas. „vefxistyaosanSi“ am mdgomareobas mocaleoba ewodeba. mocaleoba didi sityvaa... _ ganaTlebazec minda gkiTxoT. qarTuli sazogadoebisTvis yvelaze did safrTxes ras xedavT ganaTlebis im doneSi, rac dRes gvaqvs skolaSi da universitetebSi? safrTxe is aris, rom swavleba mTlianad orientirebulia Sedegze. reklamas uweven Sedegs, arada, mTavari unda iyos swavlis procesi da ara Sedegi. es Sedegi risTvis gvinda? rom CavabaroT erovnuli gamocdebi da movewyoT umaRles saswavlebelSi. es Sedegia? aseTi utilitaruli ar unda iyos codna. codna unda iyos codnisTvis. ara imisTvis, rom maincdamainc raRacaSi gamomadges. _codna codnisTvis _ es risi momcemia? codnis gemo unda hqondes adamians, misi SeZenis wyurvilTan erTad, ra Tqma unda... patara bavSvs saxlSi asoebis gamocnobas rom aswavlian, bavSvi ar fiqrobs Sedegze da arc mSobeli unda fiqrobdes Sedegze. bavSvs bunebrivad izidavs axlis Secnobis procesi. skolaSi swavlac amgvarad unda iyos agebuli. swavlis procesi unda iyos TviTmizani, ara savaraudo Sedegi... _ bevrad ufro Zneli iqneba ase swavleba. diax, swavlebis winamZRolis momzadebaa saWiro. pedagogisTvis codna sakmarisi ar aris. man unda icodes, rogor gardaqmnas mosawyeni swavla mimzidvel procesad. axla amboben, rom niSnebic ar iqnebao. magram ukuRma iwyeben. niSanma TavisTavad, bunebrivad unda amowuros Tavisi Tavi, swavlis procesze yuradRebis gadataniT. dRes, roca codna Sedegzea orientirebuli, ratom ar unda daiweros niSani? dRes gakveTilis procesi iseTia, rom bavSvi moelis Sedegs, Sefasebis saxiT. _ bunebrivad rogor amowuravs Tavis Tavs niSani?

Tu Tavad swavlis procesi gaxdeba mniSvnelovani, Sedegic TavisTavad dadgeba. uSedego araferia. maSin bavSvi niSniT ar dainteresdeba. ifiqrebs: „sul ar minda niSani; makmayofilebs, rom am gakveTilze axali raRac gavige.“ dRes ki bavSvi daaxloebiT ase fiqrobs: „ra niSans miviReb?“ guram rCeuliSvili pedagogi ar yofila, magram samoci wlis win dawera, rom vnebis simZafre SenebaSia da ara aSenebuliT tkbobaSi. swavleba SemoqmedebiTi procesi unda iyos. _ axla, roca uamravi informaciaa xelmisawvdomi, codnis dagrovebisTvis aris Tu ara ukeTesi pirobebi, vidre, Tundac, Tqveni axalgazrdobisas? realurad codna aris Tu ara meti, vidre adre iyo? rogor ar aris, internetma xelmisawvdomi gaxada yvelaferi. magram informaciasa da codnas Soris xom aris gansxvaveba? _ zustad eg mainteresebs. codna aris sistema, romelic sxvadasxva informacias, rogorc nedl masalas, erTmaneTTan akavSirebs. codna is aris, rasac Sen TviTon, Seni ZalisxmeviT, interesiT moipoveb klasSi, ojaxSi, Sens oTaxSi gadaSlil

‘The Knight in the Panther’s Skin’, this state was called “motsaleoba” (roughly translated: spare time)...

– I would also like to ask you about education. What do you see as the greatest threat for the Georgian society, in terms of the education levels at schools or universities?

– The threat is that education is fully oriented towards results.

Results are put on a pedestal, while the learning process should be the most important aspect. What do we need those results for? To pass the national exams and enroll in higher education. Is that a result? Knowledge should not be that utilitarian. Knowledge should aim at knowledge. Not to be used at all costs.

– Knowledge for knowledge – what does that bring?

– People should have a taste for knowledge, and thirst for it too, of course... When a small child is taught to recognize letters at home, the child does not think about results, and parents shouldn’t be thinking about results either. Children are naturally attracted to the process of learning. Teaching at schools should take that into account.

The process of learning should be the goal in itself, and not some hypothetical result...

– It must be much more difficult to teach like that.

– Yes, and it is necessary to prepare teachers properly. Knowledge is not enough for pedagogues. They should also know how to transform a boring subject into an entertaining process. Today, they are saying that they will cancel marks altogether. But they are starting upsidedown. Marks should exhaust themselves naturally, by turning the attention to the learning process. Today, when knowledge is oriented towards results, marks are necessary. Lesson are taking place in such a way that children are expecting results and evaluations.

– How can marks exhaust themselves?

– If the learning process becomes more important, it will happen by itself. In that case, children won’t be interested in marks. They will think: “I don’t need those marks; I am satisfied by the fact that I learned something new in this lesson.” But today, children’s thoughts go more or less like this: “What marks will I get?”. Guram Rcheulishvili was not a pedagogue, but sixty years ago, he wrote that the intensity of passion is to be found in constructing something, and not in admiring what has been already constructed. Teaching should be a creative process.

– Now that we have access to so much information, are we in a better situation in terms of the acquirement of knowledge, than, let us say, during your youth? Is there more knowledge than there was before?

– Of course, the internet has made everything accessible. But there is a difference between information and knowledge, isn’t there?

– That’s exactly what I’m interested in.

– Knowledge is a system in which one combines various pieces of information, which act as raw materials, together. Knowledge is what you acquire yourself, through your own efforts and curiosity, be it in class, at home, in your room, in front of an open book, in nature, or even on the street, among people. I am talking about a proper learning process, and not what you hear and memorize or forget,

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wignTan, bunebaSi an, Tundac, quCaSi, xalxSi. es aris swavlis procesi da ara is, raRacas yurs rom mohkrav da daimaxsovreb, an migaviwydeba, radgan veraferTan ver akavSireb. informaciam SeiZleba dagamZimos, „Tavi gamogitenos“. codna ar gamZimebs, mxolod gamdidrebs. _ yvelas xom ver amdidrebs? amitom vambobT, rom adamiani Tavisi Tavis winamZRoli unda iyos. adamians unda SeeZlos sakuTari Tavis warmarTva. magram amas iSviaTad Tu vinme axerxebs. umravlesobas winamZRoli sWirdeba, sxvisi gamocdilebis imedi aqvs. am „sxvis“ gareSe is verafers miaRwevs, nabijs ver gadadgams. aseTia Cemi gamocdileba. amas vambob sxvebze, magram mec, amis mTqmels, mWirdeba Cemze gamocdili, romelsac unda gavyve... _ evropaSi, amerikaSi swavlis xarisxi bevrad maRalia, pirovnebac ufro daculia. iqac sWirdebaT winamZRoli? iqac eZeben, vis mihyvnen? iqac asea, struqturulad araviTari gansxvaveba ar aris Cvensa da im sazogadoebas Soris. adamiani yvelgan erTia. adamis Zeni varT yvelani. _ giorgi kekeliZesTan interviuSi TqviT, wignebze var mijaWvuli da es Zalian maSfoTebs, radgan araferze mijaWva ar SeiZlebao. ras gvnebT Tqven is, rom wignebze xarT mijaWvuli? ar SeiZleba adamiani sagnebs miejaWvos. es Zalian cudi momentia adamianis cxovrebaSi. wigni sagania, nivTi, Cveni civilizaciis artefaqti. wignebze mijaWvuli var, Tumca, CemTvis wigni mxolod wasakiTxi, informaciis Tu codnis misaRebi xelsawyo ar aris, rom, gamoyenebis Semdeg, gverdze mivagdo, daviviwyo. arasodes, rac Tavi maxsovs, pragmatuli midgoma wignisadmi ar mqonia. TviTon wigni miyvars, rogorc nivTi. es wignebi, rac am saxlSia, Cem Semdeg aravis dasWirdeba. da mainc, dRemde vyidulob wignebs. magram rodesac wigni aRar iqneba iq, im samyaroSi, wignis moTxovnileba mainc meqneba da es gamoiwvevs CemSi did tkivils. imitom, rom aq unda amowuro wignis siyvaruli, raRacad unda gardaqmna; unda amowuro, rom aRar iyo masze mijaWvuli. _ magram aq arafers gvnebT, xom asea? aq me vgrZnob siyvaruls, sixaruls, rom es wigni maqvs da mas vxedav yoveldRiurad. iqneb, arc wavikiTxo, magram vicode, ras ambobs igi. im samyaroSi, sadac wigni saerTod ar aris, es moTxovnileba mainc arsebobs. gsurT, genatrebaT, magram is aRar aris. _ratom gaqvT amis rwmena, rom es SegawuxebT iq... asi wlis Semdeg? ra vici, ase mgonia, TiTqos. ai, magaliTad, wyurvilis grZnoba. wyali ar aris, Sen gwyuria. pirvel xanebSi, albaT, ase iqneba. amis gamocdileba ar maqvs, magram ase mgonia, rom es wignebi ise migajaWvavs am cxovrebaze, rom iq misi aryofna gagtanjavs. asaki gemateba da TandaTan

because you cannot link it to anything else. Information can become on you, it can “load your head”. But knowledge cannot be a burden, it can only enrich you.

– But it cannot enrich everyone?

– This is why we say that people should be their own guides. People should be able to guide themselves. But only a few manage to do so.

Most need a guide, they are leaning on someone else. They will not achieve anything without this “someone else”, not even taking a small step. I talk from experience. I am talking about others, but I, myself, also need someone more experienced to guide me...

– In Europe and America, the quality of education is much higher, and individualities are more protected too. Do they also need guides there? Do they also search for someone to follow?

– It is the same there, there is no structural difference between their societies and ours. People are the same everywhere. We are all the children of Adam.

– In an interview with Giorgi Kekelidze, you said that you are addicted to books, and that it made you very concerned, because one shouldn’t be addicted to anything. What bad comes from being addicted to books?

– People shouldn’t be addicted to objects. This is a very bad aspect of people’s lives. Books are objects, artefacts of our civilization. I am addicted to books, but to me, books aren’t only a readable device that provides information or knowledge, something that can be thrown to the trash and forgotten after being used. As far as I can remember, I have never had a pragmatic approach towards books. I love books themselves, as objects. Nobody else will need the books that are in this home after me. Nevertheless, to this day, I still buy books. But in the next world, where there will be no more books, I will still have a thirst for books, and this will generate much pain in me. That is why you should quench your thirst for books in this world, you should transform it into something else; you should exhaust it, so that you are not addicted to them anymore.

– But they don’t do anything bad here, do they?

– Here, I feel love and happiness for having books and being able to read them every day. Even if I don’t read them, just the knowledge of what they are telling is enough. In a world without books, we still need to know this. You want to read, you miss books, but they aren’t there anymore.

– Why do you think that this will haunt you there... in a hundred years?

– I don’t know, that’s the impression I have. For instance, the feeling of thirst. There is no water, and you are thirsty. In the beginning, this is probably how it will be. I have no experience of this, but I think that these books will make you so addicted to this life, that their lack will be difficult there. You get older, and little by little, you have to get free of objects – even books. They can weigh on you. You saw these rooms, didn’t you?

– Yes, every room is full of books.

– Yes. There is not even room to breathe.

– Perhaps books weigh on you here – but won’t weigh on you there?

– There, what will weigh on me is that I will still have a desire, a

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nivTebisgan _ Tundac, wigni iyos _ unda gaTavisuflde. gamZimebs. oTaxebi xom naxe? _ diax, yvela oTaxi savsea wignebiT. diax. sunTqvac ar SeiZleba ukve. _ ase xom ar xdeba, rom aq gamZimebT da ara _ iq dagamZimebT? iq is damamZimebs, rom moTxovnileba, wyurvilis grZnoba SerCenili maqvs. mwyuria, magram sagani, romelic mwyuria, ar aris. vfiqrob, amas gulisxmobs galaktionis es sityvebi: „Sens simebSi me momwyurda wyaro; wyaro sCans da wyali arsad aris“. iq mosalodneli simZime aq mamZimebs. _ romel gamocdilebaze dayrdnobiT ambobT, rom iq wignebis siyvaruli dagamZimebT? ra vici, ase mgonia. SeiZleba vcdebi. me amas yoveldRiurad ar ganvicdi, ra Tqma unda. magram Tu dafiqrdebi, nivTebTan damokidebuleba Tavisufali unda gqondes. _ wignis garda, kidev rame nivTi arsebobs, romelzec mijaWvuli xarT? ara, ar mgonia. nivTebi ar mainteresebs _ iaraRi, samkaulebi... Tumca, bavSvobaSi miyvarda, ratomRac, sruliad usargeblo nivTebi, magaliTad, gadamwvari naTura... _ Zvirfas adamianTan romeli nivTebic gakavSirebT, arc im nivTebze gaqvT mijaWvuloba? aseTi ram ki arsebobs. sxvaTa Soris, CemSi nivTis dakargva ufro met sinanuls iwvevs, vidre adamianis dakargva. _ marTla? diax. adamianis wasvlis Semdeg misi nivTi Tu ikargeba, an fuWdeba, TiTqos, gaTanabrebulia im adamianis dakargvasTan. adamianis gardacvaleba Cem nebaze ar aris damokidebuli, magram, ai, nivTis arseboba Cem nebazea damokidebuli. me mas ver movuare, is gatyda, daikarga. me pasuxismgebeli viyavi, rom Semenaxa, magram ver SevZeli, davkarge. _ es mesmis, diax. rom gkiTxoT axla, romeli iyo wigni, romelmac Tqvenze Zalian didi gavlena moaxdina, pirveli ra gagaxsendebaT? adreuli bavSvobidan ramdenime wigni gamaxsenda. pirveli _ es aris rusulidan Targmnili aleqsei tolstois „buratinos Tavgadasavali“. didi STabeWdileba datova da dRemde maxsovs: is saidumloeba, rac iq aris... is karebi, romlis iqiT raRac aris kidev... saidumloebisadmi mowiweba am wignma gamiRviZa. saidumlos dafaseba maswavla, ufro zustad, _ rom saidumlo unda arsebobdes, Seixedo masSi da datovo saidumlod. rac ar unda Seicnos adamianma am samyaroSi, raRac arsebiTi mainc rCeba Seucnobeli. raRac mudmivi... arsebobis saidumlo rCeba. meore wigni kidev iyo „tom soieris Tavgadasavali“. udidesi wigni iyo CemTvis. _ tom soierma ra kuTxiT moaxdina gavlena?

Cemi toli bavSvis moqmedeba, misi oinebi, fantaziebi, ra vici... ar vcdilobdi, mimebaZa, magram etalonad mimaCnda CemTvis. Tumca, buratino mainc Seudarebeli iyo.

feeling of thirst. I am thirsty, but the object for which I am thirsty doesn’t exist. I think that is what Galaktioni’s words meant: “In your strings, I got thirsty for a source; I can see the source, but there is no water”. The possible future burden is what weighs on me here.

– On which experience do you base yourself when you say that your love of books will weigh on you there?

– I don’t know, that’s just how I feel. Maybe I’m mistaken. I don’t think about this every day, naturally. But if you think about it, you should have a “free” approach to objects.

– Apart from books, is there any other object on which you are dependent?

– No, I don’t think so. I am not interested in objects – weapons, jewelry... But as a child, for some reason, I liked completely useless objects, for instance, burnt out light bulbs...

– Aren’t you attracted even to objects that link you to your loved ones?

– This can happen, but it’s a different thing. By the way, I am more affected when I lose an object than when I lose a person.

– Really?

– Yes. After people pass away, if the object linked to them is lost, or broken, it seems it is equalized with the loss of the person. The death of a person is not dependent on my will, but the existence of an object actually is. I couldn’t take care of it, it got broken, or lost. I was responsible to take care of it, but I could not, and I lost it.

– I understand that. If I ask you which book has influenced you the most, what would come to mind?

– A few books from my early childhood. First, Aleksey Tolstoy’s ‘Adventures of Buratino’, translated from Russian. It left a great impression on me, and I remember to this day the mystery it contained... the door behind which there was something else... My respect of secrets started there. It taught me to value secrets, or to be more precise, it made me understand that secrets should exist, that one has to look into them and leave them as secrets. Whatever people learn in this world, something will still remain impenetrable.

Something eternal... The mystery of existence. The second book was ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’. It was a great book for me.

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_ Tqven TqviT, am wignma saidumlos mimarT interesi gamiRviZa da saidumlos dafaseba maswavlao. TviTon TqvenSi Tu aris rame iseTi, rac dRemde dafarulia yvelasTvis _ ojaxis wevrebisTvis, axloblebisTvis. rogor ara, ramdeni ramea (icinis). cudic, kargic. me vfiqrob, roca Sevxvdebi „imas“ da Tu mixvdeba, me vin var, _ es mzaravs. magram vfiqrob, maSinac imuniteti geqneba, safarveli geqneba. pirovneba avtonomiuria, sxvisTvis Seuvalia, gaumWvirvalea. asea mowyobili adamianis buneba. _ davibeni. SexvdebiTo, rom ambobT, _ me vifiqre, rom samsjavroze, sadac yvela warvsdgebiT... samsjavroze, ra Tqma unda. magram iq Cemi moyvasi, romelsac vumuxTle, Tu mas SiSvlad warvudeqi, xom ganmsjis? magram is ver xedavs Cems Sinagans. vinc xedavs is aris Cemi msajuli, is Cems saqmeebs gaaSiSvlebs, mamxilebs da ganmsjis. _ iqac rCeba saidumlo?

Cemi saidumlo CemSive rCeba da mxolod im msajulma uwyis. erTma Tqva: samsjavro rom ar iyos, Cems cxovrebas ra fasi eqnebodao. ai, es aris cxovrebis sazrisi, rom bolomde Seicno Seni Tavi, mixvde, vin xar. _ es yvela adamians axasiaTebs, rom aucileblad inaxavs raRac saidumlos? Tu adamians gaaCnia? sxvebze ver vityvi. Tumca, adamiani yvela erT yaidazea Seqmnili da analogiiT SegiZlia ifiqro, rom bevrs aqvs erTi raRac iseTi, rasac ver gaTqvams verasodes. _ ra iyo is gamocdileba, cxovrebiseuli gakveTili, romlis SeTvisebazec Zalian bevri dro dakargeT? erTi ram gamaxsenda axla. axalcixis universiteti rom gaixsna, ori weli iq viyavi da vaswavlidi. erTxel vkiTxulobdi filosofiuri xasiaTis wigns. saerTo sacxovrebelSi zamTarSi deni ar iyo da cioda. es wigni mqonda da sanTlis Suqze vkiTxulobdi. raRac gamexsna goneba, yvelaferi gavige aq, ise Cavwvdi... swored am saidumloze iyo. mere veRar Cavwvdi amas. mere veRar aRvidgine is siRrmeebi, rac movida CemTan, am sanTlis Suqze... axalcixeSi... maxsovs. mere ramdenjer gadavikiTxe es adgili, es abzaci. Zebna mWirdeboda. sad iyo is, rom vkiTxulobdi-meTqi? sad iyo? ver vnaxe. warmogidgenia?! axlac veZeb xolme im adgils wignSi da ver vpoulob. _ Tqven yvebodiT, rom didi xnis ganmavlobaSi mogyvebodaT dedasTan ganSorebis SiSi. patara rom viyavi, roca sadme mtovebda, sul meSinodao. ara, es SiSi mqonda, pirvelad rom wamiyvanes sabavSvo baRSi. Torem Semdeg aRar ganmeorebula. dedaCemma sabavSvo baRSi damtova da, roca wavida, vifiqre, rom gaudaburda qveyana da davikarge. dRemde maxsovs es. baRis samzareulos suni, romelic dRemde SemorCa Cems virtualur ynosvas, Semaxsenebs xolme. mere ganvazogade, TiTqos, yovel wayvanaze aseTi gancda mqonodes. sinamdvileSi, pirveli wayvana iyo, roca simartove vigrZeni. axlac bevr xalxSi marto vgrZnob

– In what way did Tom Sawyer influence you?

– The actions of a boy my age, his tricks, fantasies, I don’t know... I wasn’t trying to imitate him, but I considered him as an example. But Buratino had no equal.

– You said that this book woke your interest for secrets, and taught you to value secrets. Do you, yourself, have something that nobody knows to this day – not even your family members or close ones?

– Of course, there are many of them (laughs). Good or bad. I think that when I meet “Him” and if he understands who I am… This terrifies me. But I think that even then, you will have immunity, you will have some protection. Individuals are autonomous, they are inaccessible, nontransparent to others. This is our human nature.

– I’m confused. When you say that you will meet, I thought that you were talking about the Last Judgement, where we will all stand...

– The Last Judgement, of course. But if I stand naked before a friend that I have betrayed, he will condemn me, won’t he? But he cannot see what I have inside of me. Those who see it become my judges, they strip my actions from their mystery, evaluate them, and judge me.

– Secrets remain secrets, even there?

– My secrets stay in me, and only God knows them. Someone once said: “If there was no Last Judgement, what would my life be worth?”

This is the meaning of life, to get to know oneself as much as possible, to understand who you are.

– Is it characteristic of all people to keep secrets? Or does it differ between individuals?

– I cannot talk about others. But everyone was created in the same way, and by analogy, you can deduct that many people have some story that they will never be able to tell.

– What was the experience, the life lesson that took a lot of time for you to assimilate?

– I just remembered something. When the Akhaltsikhe university opened, I gave lectures there for two years. Once, I was reading a philosophical book. There was no electricity in the dormitory in the winter, so it was quite cold. I had this book, and was reading it under the light of a candle. My mind somehow opened up, I understood everything, the deeper layers of what I was reading... It was precisely about that secret. Afterwards, I couldn’t reach that state anymore.

Afterwards, I couldn’t return to the depths I once experienced under the light of a candle, in Akhaltsikhe... I remember. I read the same passage again many times. I wanted to experience the same thing. Where was this thing I read, I was saying? Where? I couldn’t find it. Did I imagine it?! I am still looking for this passage in that book, and I cannot find it.

– You once said that for a long time, you were afraid of getting separated from your mother, and that when you were a kid, you were always afraid when she was leaving you somewhere.

– No, this was only when they took me to the kindergarten for the first time. It didn’t repeat after that. My mother left me at the kindergarten, and when she left, I thought that the world had collapsed, and that I was lost. I still remember this feeling today. The smell of the kindergarten’s kitchen, which lives, to this day, in my olfactory memory, sometimes reminds me of this moment. Then I must have generalized it, as if I had

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2 (24) 2021

Tavs. amitom ar wavedi frankfurtSi. amden xalxSi gareva ar SemeZlo. magram sikvdilis SiSi ra aris?! ukve didi viyavi, roca wamovdgebodi, dedaCemTan mividodi, mZinares vakvirdebodi, xom cocxalia-meTqi. _ ramdeni wlis iyaviT, deda rom gardaicvala? ar viyavi didi, arc patara. ocdaSvidis viyavi. _ axla Tu gaqvT raime SiSi? axla ra maqvs? erTi sizmari maqvs, romelic sxvadasxva SinaarsiT, sxvadasxva siuJetiT mesizmreba xolme: viRacasTan pasuxi unda vago. minda, rogorme davusxlte. magram ara, is mainc damxvdeba viwro karebTan. da ra vqna? ra vupasuxo? _ es aris. vici, rom mamxels, imitom, rom raRac Cadenili maqvs... rogorc gamocdaze. gamocdaze unda gaxvide usaTuod, gamomcdeli gicdis, Sen ki absoluturad moumzadebeli xar... aseTi sizmari maqvs. meore sizmaria, var romeliRac did qalaqSi, sadac adrec vyofilvar. Sin dabruneba minda da ver vbrundebi, bileTi ar maqvs. arc aravis telefoni maqvs, aravis misamarTi ar maxsovs, arc fuli maqvs. ra vqna, sad wavide? es Zalian xSirad mesizmreba. es koSmaria. ra meSveleba, gaRviZeba rom ar iyos? aseTi ganwyobiT viRviZeb. _ riT xsniT am sizmrebs? dakargvis, sadRac CarCenis meSinia. ho, riT vxsni? vici, rom raRac-raRacebSi damnaSave var da pasuxi unda vago. magram ase koSmarulad? erT wminda mamasTan wavikiTxe, adamiani sulmudam damnaSavea RvTis winaSeo. es qvecnobierad icis adamianis sulma da aseTi sizmrebic amis nayofi unda iyos. _ herman hese ambobda, aravis esizmreba is, rac mas ar exebao. asea, diax. mexeba, rogor ar mexeba, Cem garda, vis exeba. ori tipis sizmari maqvs. erTi _ rom viRacas unda vupasuxo usaTuod da gavurbivar, magram vici, rom mainc damxvdeba. gamomeRviZeba da amovisunTqav. meore sizmaria _ rom dabruneba minda da ver vbrundebi. ra Tqma unda, es me mexeba, Cemi gamocdilebaa. _ daaxloebiT erTi tipis sizmaria orive. marTalia, erTi tipis sizmrebia da ase mdevs es sizmrebi Tavidanve, rac Tavi maxsovs. bavSvobis sizmari maxsovs. veraze, sadac adre vcxovrobdiT, rusebis eklesiaa. seriulad mesizmreboda, rom diakvani medevneba, TiTqos Tavze damfrinavs. me gavrbivar... _ ra ucnauria... Tqven TqviT, dakargvis meSiniao. ukavSirebT Tu ara am sizmrebs mamaTqvenis represiis ambavs, bavSvobidan gamoyolil travmas? ar vici, SeiZleba, aracnobierad es momentic iyos, rogorc Semadgeneli. magram ase pirdapir ver vakavSireb. rac Seexeba dakargvas, realuradac ganmicdia. inglisidan momavali, amsterdamis aeroportSi CavrCi Cemi daudevrobiT Tu, ar vici, riT. TviTmfrinavma gamaswro. ar Cavjeqi im TviTmfrinavSi. ratom? dResac ar maqvs pasuxi. movxvdi stambulSi, sadac ori Rame aeroportSi

the same feeling every time I was brought to the kindergarten. In reality, it was just the first time that I felt alone. To this day, I feel alone in large groups of people. That is why I did not go to Frankfurt. I could not blend with that many people. But what is the fear of death?! I was already older when I started getting up at night, going to my mother’s room, and watching her sleep, checking that she was alive.

– How old were you when you lost your mother?

– I was neither young nor old. I was 27.

– Are you still afraid of something today?

– What do I have now? I have a dream, one that comes in different forms and settings: I have to take accountability towards someone. I want to somehow run away from it. But no, it will still be waiting for me there, at some narrow door. And what should I do? What can I give as a response? – That’s it. I know that it is giving me away because I have done something... It’s like exams. You have to pass an exam, someone is testing you, and you are completely unprepared... This is the kind of dream I have. In another dream, I am in a big city that I have visited before. I want to go back home, but I cannot, I don’t have a ticket. Nobody has a phone, I don’t remember anyone’s address, and I don’t have money. I don’t know what to do or where to go. I have this dream very often. It is a nightmare. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t wake up.

– How do you explain those dreams?

– I am afraid of getting lost, and being stuck somewhere. Yes, how to explain them? I know that I am guilty of some things, and that I have to be held accountable for them. But like this, as a nightmare?

A priest once said that humans are always guilty towards God. I think that our soul knows this on a subconscious level, and these kinds of dreams come from this.

– Herman Hesse used to say that nobody dreams about what doesn’t concern them personally.

– Yes, that’s the case. It concerns me, of course it does. Who else? I have two types of dreams – in one, I have to answer to someone and I am fleeing them, but I know that I will have to meet them at some point. I wake up and I calm down. In the second –I want to return home, and I cannot. Of course, this is all about me, about my personal experiences.

– They could both be seen as the same type of dream.

– It’s true, they are the same type of dream, and they have been following me since I can remember. I remember a childhood dream.

In the Vera neighborhood, where we used to live, there is a Russian Church. I used to dream again and again that he was chasing me, he was like flying over me. And I was fleeing...

– That’s very strange... You said that you were afraid of getting lost. Do you connect these dreams with the repression experienced by your father, to this trauma following you since your childhood?

– I don’t know, maybe it did influence my dreams subconsciously.

But I cannot connect them directly. As for getting lost, I have actually experienced it in real life. I got stuck in the airport in Amsterdam when flying from England, probably because of my negligence. I missed the airplane. I couldn’t get in it. Why? To this day, I still don’t

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2 (24) 2021

viyavi mSieri, mwyurvali. mere ki mivawvdine xma saelCoSi nacnobs, aq var-meTqi da erTi ambavi atyda. mSieri viyavi, wyalic ar mqonda. viRac italielebma boTli datoves da is davlie. samarcxvinoc ki iyo. magram am sircxvilis fasad aia sofia vinaxule. _ ucxo garemosTan urTierToba giWirT, rogorc Cans. miWirs, ki. isev imas davubrundebi, winamZRoloba rom saWiroa. me mWirdeba winamZRoli, gareT roca gavdivar, ucxoeTSi. ramdenjerme vyofilvar. marto ver mivdivar, ar SemiZlia. Tu marto mivdivar, daZabuli da mobilizebuli var. magram sxvasTan erTad roca var, mivendobi imas. icis, sad unda mivakiTxoT... sad unda gadavsxdeT. kargad vgrZnob Tavs, pasuxismgeblobisgan vTavisufldebi. _ iseTi adamiani Tu arsebobs, romelsac SeuZlia Tavis TavSic CaRrmavdes da gareTa sivrceebic kargad aiTvisos? Tu nebismieri adamiani an erTzea orientirebuli, an meoreze? ara, adamianma samyaro unda moiSinauros. gare samyaro unda Semoitano Sens TavSi, rom SenTvis ucxo ar iyos da aRar daibnevi. _ Tqven ratom gagiWirdaT? albaT, darwmunebuli ar var Cems TavSi. roca gareT var, sadRac var. _ da SigniT, sakuTar TavSi xom xarT darwmunebuli? ra vici, var darwmunebuli? ar mgonia. iseTi darwmunebuloba ar maqvs, rogoric unda hqondes adamians, romelic damoukidebel nabijebs dgams. yoymani vici, yoymanis kaci var. gadawyvetilebis miRebis unari mekargeba xSirad. _ Tqveni cxovrebis ra momenti gaxsendebaT, romelmac Zalian bevri ram gansazRvra TqvenSi? ra vici, aba, ra giTxra? aseTi erTi ar maxsendeba. Zalian xSirad vfiqrob... adre amdens ar vfiqrobdi, magram, rogorc Cans... yovelTvis mawvalebda es _ mamis ambavi. Zalian kargad maxsovs, rogor waiyvanes. wavida, isev mobrunda, raRac darCa, mere wavida isev da aRarc mosula. mere gavige, gvian, rom dauxvretiaT ori dRis Semdeg. magram dedaCemi ise gardaicvala, sul egona, rom cocxali iyo sadRac. mamaCemi maSin 60 wlis iqneboda, metis ara. SeiZleba, velodiT kidev Camosvlas, magram sad gaqra? SeiZleba, gardaicvala. Turme, daxvrites ori dRis Semdeg da es sul mawvalebs. rogor daayenes kedelTan da rogor esroles. da ras grZnobda TviTon. ai, es ver amitania dRemde. ganaCeni iyo „sabWoTa wyobilebis damxobis agitacia“. saerTod arc gaWaWanebula am saqmesTan. 1921 wlidan 1927 wlamde ixdida sasjels „danaSaulisTvis“. Tavisufal gadasaxlebaSi gagzavnes jer vologdaSi, mere CimkentSi... eqvsi weli. Camovida, ojaxs moekida. Zalian maSfoTebs, rom pasuxismgebeli aRaravin darCa amqveynad. vinc es gaakeTa, isic, albaT, asevea daxvretili. sul imis cdaSi var, Cavwvde mis fiqrs, roca ganaCeni moismina, an roca kedelTan miayenes... arafrisTvis... _ mamaTqvenze axalgazrdobisasac ise xSirad fiqrobdiT, rogorc axla?

have an answer. I flew to Istanbul, where I stayed for two nights in the airport, hungry and thirsty. Then I managed to pass the word to an acquaintance I had at the embassy, he heard where I was, and a whole fuss started. I was starving, I didn’t even have water. Some Italians left a bottle with water on a bench, and I drank it. It was shameful. But it cost me this shame to see the Hagia Sophia.

– It seems you have difficulties interacting with unfamiliar environments.

– I do. I would return to the idea that people need to be guided.

I need a guide when I go out of the country. I was abroad a few times. I cannot go alone. If I go alone, I am tense and mobilized all the time. But when there is someone else with me, I entrust myself to them. They know where we should board the plane... Where we should board on the next... It makes me feel good to be free of that responsibility.

– Are there people who can delve deep in their own selves, and still adapt well to the outer world? Or do we all need to focus on either one aspect or the other?

– No, people have to domesticate the world. You have to bring the outer world in your own, so that it is not foreign to you anymore, and it doesn’t confuse you.

– Why was it difficult for you?

– Probably because I’m not self-confident enough when I’m in a foreign environment.

– And are you confident from the inside, in your own self?

– I don’t know, am I? I don’t think so. I am not as confident as a human who lives independently should be. I hesitate a lot, I am a man of hesitations. I often lose the capacity to make decisions.

– What moment of your life has determined many things in it?

– I don’t know, what could I tell you? I don’t remember one moment in particular. I think an awful lot... I didn’t use to think that much about it, but it seems that my father’s story has always followed me...

I remember all too well how they took him. He left, then he came back – he had forgotten something, then he left again, never to come back again. It is much later that I learned he had been executed two

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yovelTvis. mesizmreboda. erTxans mis wignebs ver vekarebodi. karadas ver vaRebdi. _ sul mohyveba Tqvens cxovrebas es ambavi? diax, yvelaferi kargad maxsovs. ramdeni wlis viyavi? xuTisac ar vyofilvar. _ mere, amis gamo moxda, rom Tqven da Tqveni Zma cal-calke izrdebodiT? diax, dedas aRar SeeZlo, orive erCina da Cemi Zma gagzavna onSi, Tavis dasTan. deida da misi qmari zrdidnen. maT Svili ar hyavdaT. _ odesme Tqvens siZliered Tu gadaqceula es ambavi, rom mama daxvrites? raRac upiratesobas vgrZnobdi. yvelas hyavs mama, me ar myavs. sxvebsac ar hyavdaT, magram Cemi umamoba gansxvavebuli iyo. anketebSi unda Camewera, rom represirebulis Svili viyavi. raRaciT gamorCeulad vgrZnobdi Tavs. sxvaTa Soris, arasdros migrZnia Seviwroeba. stalinis dros vswavlobdi skolaSi, universitetSi, magram „xalxis mtris“ Svilad aravis movuxseniebivar. _ bavSvobisas an mere Tu warmogedginaT, cxovrebis gzaze sad iqnebodiT daaxloebiT am asakSi da xarT Tu ara iq, razec maSin gifiqriaT? ver warmovidgendi. momavalze bavSvobaSi ar mifiqria. rom mefiqra, am asaksac da bevr sxva rames ver warmovidgendi. _ ras ver warmoidgendiT, magaliTad? ras da, saWiro rom gavxdebodi vinmesTvis an raRacisTvis. ai, Sen moxvedi _ ese igi, saWiro gavxdi. ratomRac dainteresdi, xom, CemiT? amas ver warmovidgendi, rom raRaciT saintereso gavxdebodi sazogadoebisTvis. me ar viyavi sajaro kaci. arc axla var. ise gavizardeT, rom aravin arafers gvekiTxeboda. pasuxismgeblobac ar gvqonia araferze. arc sazogadoebriv cxovrebaSi vmonawileobdiT. universitetSi ironiulad vuyurebdiT komkavSirelebs, rom fusfusebdnen, qaRaldebs afrialebdnen. Zalian kargad vgrZnobdiT Tavs, sazogado saqmeSi ar viyaviT gareuli.

Tavisuflebi viyaviT amisgan. axla realoba pasuxismgeblobas gakisrebs. ras izam?! magram es cudi ar aris. _ axalgazrdebze ambobT Tu Tqvens Tavze? saerTod, Cems megobrebzec amas vityvi. arc skolis cxovrebaSi vaqtiurobdi. Tumca, saintereso is iyo, rom amxanagi myavda, mgoni, 12 wlisac ar iyo da ukve komkavSirSi miiRes. ise gvaxarbebda amas, vkvdebodi SuriT. mere, 14 wlis rom gavxdi, mec SevaRwie komkavSirSi. didi sixaruliT Sevedi... warmogidgenia?! TiTqos, wona momemata. albaT, mowifulobis niSani iyo komkavSiris bileTi... _ romel asakSi gaacnobiereT, rom komkavSiri ar iyo mniSvnelovani? erTi-ori wlis Semdeg ukve arafrad vagdebdi. mowmoba gadavagde, Tu sadRac mivkarge, aRar maxsovs. _ arc partiis wevri yofilxarT, rogorc vici.

days later. My mother died thinking he was still alive, somewhere.

My father was about 60 years old at the time, not more. We were actually expecting him to come back, wondering where he went, and thinking, also, that he might have passed. And it turned out he was executed two days after he left, and that is what’s bugging me. I wonder how they put him against the wall, and what he was feeling.

This is what I could not get over, to this day. His verdict was “agitation aimed at breaking the Soviet order”. He had not done anything close to what they were accusing him of doing. He was imprisoned from 1921 to 1927 for “wrongdoings”. First, they sent him to Vologda, then to Shymkent... six years. When he returned, he stuck to his family. I am very concerned that no one was held responsible for sending him to death. The one who did it was also probably executed. I am always trying to imagine his thoughts, when he heard his sentence, or when they put him against the wall... for nothing...

– Did you think about your father a lot when you were young too, or only now?

– Always. I used to dream of him. For some time, I couldn’t touch his books. I couldn’t open the cupboard.

– Has this event followed you for your whole life?

– Yes, I remember everything very well, even though I wasn’t even five years old when it happened.

– Was it the reason why your brother and yourself grew up separately?

– Yes, my mother could not provide for both of us, so she sent my brother in Oni, to her sister. My aunt and her husband looked after him. They didn’t have a child.

– Did the execution of your father ever transform into a strength?

– I could sometimes feel some “ascendance”. Everybody has a father, but I don’t. Others also lacked a father, but my fatherlessness was different. In forms, I had to write that I was the son of an executed man. I kind of felt different. By the way, I never felt any abuse about this. I went to school and university during the soviet era, but nobody ever made me feel that I was the son of an “enemy of the people”.

– In your childhood or youth, did you ever imagine what your life would be at approximately this age? And if so, is it actually close to that?

– I could not imagine this, I was not thinking of the future when I was a child. And even if I did, I could not imagine being this old, and many other things.

– What couldn’t you have imagined, for instance?

– Well, that I would become useful for someone or for something.

For example, you came here, so I am useful to you. For some reason, you got interested in me, right? I couldn’t have imagined that I would become interesting for the society. I wasn’t a public man. I am still not. We grew up in an environment in which nobody was asking us anything. Neither did we have responsibility over anything, nor did we take part in public life. At university, we used to look at members of the young communist league with irony, they were fussing around, waving papers... We felt really good not to be involved in public

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ara, arasdros. Cemi erTi biZa iyo partiaSi, ara rwmeniT, pragmatuli mizniT. partia mezizReboda, magram biZaCemisadmi raime uaryofiTi grZnoba ar gamCenia. vicodi, rom es aucilebeli atributi iyo profesiul saqmianobaSi raRacis misaRwevad; an imisTvis, rom patiosani adamiani ar daCagruliyo. _ Cvens sazogadoebas Zalian iSviaTad eZleva saSualeba, rom mousminos Tqvennair adamians, romelsac SeuZlia, ganmartos _ xangrZlivi mxneobis recepti ra aris? recepti is aris, rom ra saqmesac ewevi, jer erTi, Seni pirovnebisTvis aris Rirebuli da, mere kidev, sxvebisTvisac sasargebloa. Sens saqmianobas raRac fasi aqvs. amdeni wigni rom aris aq, marto CemTvis xom ar aris? am wignebidan raRacas viReb, mere raRac gadaixarSeba, raRac gadis Cemgan da viRacas es ainteresebs. me amas yovelTvis vgrZnob, rom marTla ainteresebs viRacas. axla aq rom wamikiTxe Cemi naweri, aRarc maxsovs, rodis davwere. sxvac kiTxulobs, yofili studenti Tu ucxo axalgazrda, axsovs, qselebSi gamofens. maSasadame, aris interesi. es mamxnevebs, bunebrivia. yovel SemTxvevaSi, ar grZnob kaci Tavs amaoebaSi, usargeblod... _ da cxovrebis wesi? miyvars ganmartoeba da axlo megobrebSi yofna. ase iyo adre da axlac asea, Tumca, samwuxarod, megobrebi Semomaklda. Cemi hobi aris sofeli da wignebi. ar maqvs midrekileba sazogadoebrivi cxovrebisken, arc ramenairad Tavis gamoCenis survili. jildoebs gavurbivar. Rirsebis ordenze orjer vTqvi uari. universitetSi movida sia. Cemi naTesavi iuriskonsulti iyo, miTxra, siaSi xaro. vaime, Seni Wirime, amomiRe-meTqi am siidan. amomiRo, gadavrCi. kaixnis Semdeg mirekaven prezidentis kancelariidan, unda moxvideT „Rirsebis ordenis“ misaRebado! Tavzari dameca. vkiTxe, kidev arsebobs-meTqi es Rirsebis jildo? arsebobs da axla namdvilad Rirseul adamianebs vaZlevTo. vaime, ar SemiZlia-meTqi, amomiReT siidan. mere im pirs vxvdebodi, visac velaparake, Sewyalebis komisiaSi, da gafarToebuli TvalebiT miyurebda, ratom Tqva uario. arada, sisulelea es yvelaferi. _ ra gawuxebdaT, ratom eubnebodiT uars? ar vici. ver miviRe es Rirsebis ordeni. ar mindoda. sircxvilis grZnobac mqonda. SesaZloa, qveSecneulad Rirseul adamianad ar mimaCnda Tavi. Tumca, rogor giTxraT, racionalurad am uars ver avxsni. _ mxneobis receptTan dakavSirebiT pirveli, rac Tqven brZaneT, aris is, rom saqme, romelsac akeTebT, TqvenTvisac Rirebulia da sxvisTvisac saWiroa. es adamians sasicocxlo Zalebs aZlevs. meore ki is aris, rom rac TqvenTvis arakomfortulia _ sazogado saqmeebSi monawileoba, sajarooba, jildoebi _ yvelafers Tavs aridebT. ubralod, ar maqvs interesi. me viyavi ministris moadgile adamianis uflebaTa dacvisa da erovnebaTa

affairs, we were free of them. Today, reality puts responsibility on you.

What can you do?! But this is not a bad thing.

– Are you talking about the youth or yourself?

– In general, I would say the same of my friends. I wasn’t active during my school years either. But the interesting thing is that I had a friend who was accepted as a member of the young communist league since he was, I think, 12 years old. He was flaunting it to us, and I was very jealous. Then, when I got 14 years old, I also managed to get into the league. I joined it with great joy... Can you imagine?! I seemed to have gained weight. The ticket to the league was probably a sign I was getting ripe...

– At what age did you realize that the young communist league was not important?

– About one or two years later, it meant nothing to me anymore. I threw away my card, or I lost it somewhere, I don’t even remember.

– You weren’t a member of the party either, as I know.

– No, never. One of my uncles was a member, not because he believed in it from an ideological perspective, but because he needed it. I hated the communist party, but I never felt anything negative towards my uncle. I knew that it was a necessary attribute to reach goals in your professional endeavor; or in order for honest people not to be oppressed.

– Our society rarely has the opportunity to listen to people like you, who can explain the recipe to remain joyful.

– The recipe is to do something that, in the first place, you personally deem valuable, and secondly, is useful to others. Your work has value.

There are many books here, they aren’t only for me, are they? I take something from these books, then I assimilate some information, and spread it around me, and some other people are interested in it. I always feel this, that some people are really interested in it. Today, you read me something I had written, and I can’t even remember when it was. Others read it too, former students or unknown young people. They remember it, and publish it on social media. So there is some interest. This heartens me, naturally. At least, it doesn’t make you feel futile or useless...

– What is your way of life?

– I like being alone and with close friends. It used to be like that in the past, and it is still the case, but unfortunately, I have lost some friends. My hobbies are my village and my books. I am not attracted to public life, and I don’t have the wish to put myself on a pedestal either. I avoid awards. I refused the Order of Honor twice. The list arrived at the university. My relative, who was a jurist, told me that I was on the list. I told him to get me out of it. He did, he saved me.

Much later, they called me from the president’s chancellery, telling me I had to go there to get the “Order of Honor”! I was terrified. I told them I thought that order didn’t exist anymore. They said it did exist, and that they were now giving them only to worthy recipients.

I told them that I couldn’t get there, and that they should take me off the list. Afterwards, I met the person I had talked to on the phone, we were together in a commission for the pardon of prisoners, and he was looking me with wide eyes, asking himself why I refused the order. But these awards and decorations are a silly thing.

– What was bothering you, why did you say no?

– I don’t know. I couldn’t receive the Order of Honor. I didn’t want it.

I was even feeling shame. Perhaps I don’t feel as an honorable person

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Soris urTierTobis sakiTxebSi. gavbriyvdi, rom davTanxmdi. TiTqos, imedi iyo, rom mahmadiani mesxebis dabrunebis sakiTxs gadavwyvetdiT... araferi gamovida.

SesaZlebeli iyo iq karieris gakeTeba. magram ara... saerTod ar mizidavda. davanebe Tavi. skandaliT wamovedi. _ faqtobrivad, mTeli cxovreba cdilobT, im garemoSi iyoT, rac piradad TqvenTvis aris saintereso. me var privatuli kaci. ar var sazogadoebrivi adamiani.

Tuki raRacnairad vCanvar sazogadoebaSi, es Cemze ar aris damokidebuli. es, albaT, imis gamoa, rom vwer, xSirad vbeWdav, sajaro leqciebiT gamovdivar. viRac waikiTxavs, mogismens da axsovxar, gaxsenebs, saxeli gaqvs. magram es Cemi interesis sagani ar aris. ar miviswrafvi aqeT. _ batono zurab, uRrmesi madloba am gansakuTrebuli interviusTvis. saubars, tradiciulad, davasrulebT Tqveni komentarebiT cnobili adamianebis or gamonaTqvamze. pirvel citatas adre wavawydi da imis mere sul vfiqrobdi, netav, ras niSnavs-meTqi. misi avtoria Tanamedrove amerikeli mwerali mariana uiliamsoni (1952): „an siyvarulisken vmoZraobT, an _ SiSisken“. ar vici, ar davkvirvebivar, vmoZraobT Tu ara siyvarulsa da SiSs Soris; magram vimyofebiT ki am or mdgomareobaSi. siyvaruli TiTqos komfortulia, magram Zlieri, Rrma siyvaruli SiSs iwvevs, namdvilad. dakarguli siyvaruli xom tkivils iwvevs, magram Tavad siyvarulSic tkivilia. SiSic Tan sdevs. Cemi meuRle gardacvlilia da mudam mqonda imis SiSi, rom aRar iqneba. ase vmsjelobdi: me rom ar viyo, misTvis iqneba saSinlad mtkivneuli, ufro metad, vidre CemTvis _ rom is ar iyos. es alternativa iyo: me movkvdebi adre, is daitanjeba. is wava, _ ra vqna? am SiSSi viyavi. es siyvaruli SiSiT iyo Seferili. rodesac SevuRldiT, mas hqonda Zalze mZime dekompensacia.

JangbadiT vasulierebdi. bewvze gadarCa. da imis Semdeg sul eklebze vijeqi. es ori grZnobaa, sworia _ siyvaruli da SiSi. es gansazRvravs Sens yofas. _ meore citatis avtoria meoTxe saukunis RvTismetyveli ieronime stridoneli (342-420): „aris sircxvili, romelic gvklavs da aris sircxvili, romelic gvacocxlebs“. ai, amaSia saqme. gklavs sircxvili Cadenili saqcielis gamo. Tuki darCi am sircxvilSi, es gardauvali daRupvaa. magram sircxvili monaniebas badebs, sinanuli, romelsac sircxvili iwvevs, gadagarCens, is gacocxlebs. arsebobs sasjeli da arsebobs gankurneba. Tu rCebi sircxvilSi, mkvdari xar. mxolod sinanuli gadaafasebs Sens saqciels da gagacocxlebs. sircxvilis grZnoba adamianuri grZnobaa, metic, adamianobis mxsneli grZnobaa adamianSi. arc cxovels, arc angelozs sircxvilis grZnoba ar gaaCnia. es mxolod adamians sWirdeba.

subconsciously. But what can I tell you, I cannot really explain this refusal rationally.

– About the recipe for joy, the first thing you said is that you should value whatever you do, and that it should be useful for others. This provides people with life force. The second thing is that you avoid everything that makes you uncomfortable – participation in public affairs, awards...

– I just don’t have any interest for that. I was a vice minister for the defense of human rights and issues related to ethnic relations. It was stupid from me to accept. I thought there was a way to arrange the return of Muslim Meskhetians... But it didn’t work. I could have made a career there. But no... I was not attracted at all. I stopped. I left in a scandal.

– You practically always tried to be in an environment that is interesting to you.

– I am a reserved man. I am not a man of the masses. If I somehow appear in society, it doesn’t depend on me, and it is probably because I write, because I often publish, and I give public lectures. Someone reads what you write, listens to you and remembers you, tells about you to his or her friends, and that’s how your name gets known. But this is not an interest I have. I don’t make any effort towards this.

– Mister Zurab, thank you so much for this very interesting interview. We will traditionally end our conversation with your commentary about two quotes by famous figures. I stumbled upon the first quote long ago, and since then, I have been wondering about what it really meant. Its author is contemporary American author Marianne Williamson (1952): “We move either towards love or towards fear”.

– I don’t know, I didn’t really think about whether we move between love and fear or not; but we are indeed in these two states. Love seems comfortable, but strong, deep love leads to fear. As for lost love, it brings pain, but there is pain in love itself too. Fear accompanies love.

My wife has passed away, and I always felt the fear of her not being here anymore. I was thinking in this way: if I am not here anymore, it will be painful for her, even more so than the other way around. This was the alternative: I die first, and she suffers. She leaves – what can I do? This was my fear. This love was tainted by fear. When we got married, she had acute decompensation. I was reanimating her with oxygen. It was a very close call, and after that, I was always nervous about it. So maybe it’s true that the feelings of love and fear define your existence.

– The author of the second quote is fourth century theologian Jerome of Stridon (342-420): “There is shame that kills us, and shame that makes us alive”.

– That’s the thing. Shame that comes from a bad action kills you. If you stay in that shame, it inevitably leads to peril. But shame can also lead to repentance, and this kind of shame can save you, make you alive. There is punishment, and there is healing. If you stay in shame, you are dead. Only repentance can transform your actions and bring you back to life. The feeling of shame is very human. Even more so: it is a feeling that can define humanity. Neither animals, nor angels feel shame. Humans are the only ones who need it.

foto zurab qurcikiZe

Photography by Zurab Kurtsikidze

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kote jandieri

Tamar mefis saflavi

Kote Jandieri

Queen Tamar’s Grave farTo sazogadoeba rezo gabriaZes icnobs, rogorc SesaniSnav dramaturgs, mxatvars, skulptors, arqiteqtors, reJisors... vSiSob raime ar gamomrCes misi mravalricxovani talantebidan. magram cotam Tu icis im gamudmebuli, Zalian daZabuli inteleqtualuri samuSaos Sesaxeb, romelsac es kaci mTeli Tavisi arsebiT, cnobis wadiliTa da enTuziazmiT, gamudmebiT eweoda. ar vici quTaisis #6 biblioTekas unda vumadlodeT, bebia domnas, Tu RvTis gangebas, rom rezos interesebi Tanabrad swvdeboda literaturas, isaak niutonis kanonebs da Zveli

The society knows Rezo Gabriadze as an outstanding playwright, painter, sculptor, architect and a film director... I’m afraid not to miss anything from his diverse talents. Only a handful of people, however, know about the intellectual work he was constantly carrying out with his whole essence, enthusiasm and enormous passion. I’m not sure if it’s Kutaisi Library N6, Grandma Domna or God’s will that we have to thank for the fact that Rezo’s interests equally spread across literature, Newton’s laws, the history of the Old World, Diaghilev’s ballets, ceramics or glazing technology, pulsars, black holes and the Higgs boson, Pushkin’s letters,

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samyaros istorias, diagilevis balets, keramikis gamowvisa da moWiqvis teqnologias, pulsarebs, Sav xvrelebsa da hiqsis bozons, puSkinis pirad werilebs, ainStainsa da dantes ilustratorebs, Zvel romael qronistebs, goeTes ferTa Teorias da galaktion tabiZis profils... am CamonaTvalis gagrZeleba usasrulod SeiZleba. rezos ZiebaTa mTel am jaWvs, Cemi azriT, safuZvlad edo gulwrfeli, TiTqmis bavSvuri aRfrTovaneba RvTis qmnilebis, samyaros mamoZravebeli logikisa da harmoniis mimarT. magram yvelaze gasaocari rezos mier danaxuli samyaros did suraTSi adamiania - pawawina arseba, romelic marionetiviT daucveli da uRonoa bunebis Zalebis winaSe, Tumca mas Seswevs siyvarulis, erTgulebis, Semecnebisa da aRmafrenis unari. rezosTvis amaSia misi tragikulobac, sidiadec da Serekilobac. rac ar unda komikurad gamoiyurebodes „Wkuosani“ qristefore mgalobliSvili „Serekilebidan“, is mainc axerxebs „caTmfrenis“ agebas da amis Zalas mas dakarguli satrfos tragikuli siyvaruli aZlevs. CemTvis es aris gabriaZis mier keTili ironiiTa da aRfrTovanebiT danaxuli mecnierebis krebsiTi saxe, xolo mis mier funjiT da tuSiT Seqmnili portretebi _ ainStaini, goeTe, mamardaSvili _ cotaTi qristefores mogvagoneben. rezos SeeZlo samyaros sirTule da Canafiqris sidiade Zalian martiv arsebebSi, sagnebsa Tu siuJetebSi daenaxa. aq mis fantazias marTlac ara aqvs sazRvari. Svilmkvdari WianWvelis glova speqtaklSi „stalingradi“, SesaZloa,

illustrations of Einstein and Dante, old Roman chronicles, Goethe’s color theory and the profile of Galaktion Tabidze… this list can go on forever.

I believe that what was behind this search was an honest, perhaps a little childlike amusement by the world created by God, the logic and

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harmony of life. But the most peculiar thing in the world seen by Rezo is a person – a small creature, who is vulnerable before the powers of nature but at the same time moved by love, loyalty, curiosity and inspiration. This is where tragedy, glory and eccentricity are combined. Regardless of how comical Qristepore Mgaloblishvili from ‘Sherekilebi’ (The Eccentrics) may be, he manages to create a “flying apparatus” with the power of the tragic love for his lost beloved. To me, this is the ironic and avid way Gabriadze sees the cumulative face of science, and even his portraits of Einstein, Goethe, and Mamardashvili resemble Qristepore.

Rezo had the unique quality of seeing the intricate world in very simple creatures, things or plots. His imagination really has no borders. The monologue of a grieving ant that lost a child from the play ‘Stalingrad’ is perhaps the most heartbreaking scene we have seen on a stage. The same tragic fate of innocent horses, ants and common people turn the Stalingrad battle into a catastrophe of cosmic level.

yvelaze sulis SemZvreli monologia, rac ki odesme scenidan mogvismenia. uwyinari cxenebis, WianWvelebisa da rigiTi adamianebis erTnairad tragikuli bedi, mocucqnul Tojinur sivrceSi gaTamaSebul stalingradis brZolas kosmiuri masStabis tragediad aqcevs... „stalingradis“ finals amzadebs sruliad warmoudgeneli, fantastikuri dialogi cxensa da germanel generals Soris, romelic wina cxovrebaSi Turme romaeli iuristi da mxedarTmTavari salvius iuliane yofila. es scena riRaciT qristesa da pilates Sexvedrasac mogvagonebs. generali cxens ekiTxeba: _ miTxari, rogor axerxeb yovelTvis msxverpli da wamebuli iyo?.. Cemi xvedri ki sul omia, omi da omi! cxenis pasuxi am kiTxvaze sxva araferia, Tu ara ironiuli ganaCeni yvela drois yvela didi dampyroblisaTvis: _ morCileba da imedi... Tumca Sen meomari xar da fiqrisTvis dro TiTqmis aRar gaqvs _ brZolis dawyebamde wuTiRa rCeba... magram Tu SeZleb, rom axla mainc araferi gaakeTo, maSin vin icis, iqneb geRirsos Cemnair, bedis

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morCil cxenad dabadeba, an iqneb gergos pativi, gadaiqce qvad, ukanaskneli bogano britanelis saxuravs rom amagrebs. rezo xSirad ambobda _ me mwerali ki ara, mxatvari varo. am mosazrebas mxolod gadataniTi mniSvnelobiT SeiZleba daeTanxmos kaci. ra Tqma unda, is Zalian saintereso mxatvaria, Tavisi gamokveTili stiliT, ganumeorebeli xelweriT. misi grafikac da ferwerac SeuZlebelia agerios sxvisaSi. am namuSevrebSi areklili pawawina samyaroebi, personaJebi, Janruli scenebi da usulo sagnebic ki zustad asaxavs mis msoflaRqmas, iumorsa da sevdas. rezos naxatebis ramdenime, Zalian sasacilo da Tbili seria „sakacobrio kulturis mamaTa“ Sesaxeb _ goeTes, puSkinisa da galaktionis cxovrebis erTgvari ironiul-paTetikuri hagiografiaa. misi mxatvrobis stiluri Tavisebureba, me mgoni, yvelaze zustad aseTi terminiT aRiwereba: „magiuri gabriaZizmi“.

The finale of ‘Stalingrad’ is an incredible scene of dialogue between a horse and a German general, who was a Roman jurist and military leader Salvius Julianus in the past life. The General asks the horse: – Can you, please, tell me, how is it that you are always a victim?

While my fate is always the war… war!

The Horse’s answer is nothing else but an ironic remark to the biggest invader of all time: – Patience and hope… However, you are a warrior and you don’t have the time to think anymore – there is only a minute left before the battle starts... But if you manage to do nothing, then who knows, perhaps you too can be a horse humble to fate, or perhaps happiness will befall you and you will become a stone on the roof of a pauper Briton.

Rezo often used to say that he was not a writer, but rather a painter.

One can only agree to this metaphorically. Of course he is a very interesting painter, with his own unique style. You can’t mistake his drawing or painting with anyone else’s. The way he used to see the

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Tumca, ra Tqma unda, rezo gabriaZe, upirveles yovlisa, didi prozaikosi da dramaturgia. man gamoigona Tavisi, unikaluri ena, romelic organuli da axlobeli aRmoCnda TiToeuli CvenTaganisTvis. yvelaze ucnauria, rom „gabriaZis ena“ erTnairad bunebrivad da Tbilad JRers rogorc qarTuli, ise rusuli saliteraturo enis sivrceSi. rusuladac da qarTuladac rezo poulobs misTvis saWiro enobriv konstruqciebs, leqsikur masalas, intonacias, ritms, sisadaves. dauviwyari frazebi „araCveulebrivi gamofenidan“, „qvevridan“, „miminodan“ Tu „qin-Za-Zadan“ raRacnairad erTbaSad, moulodnelad gaxda Cveni metyvelebis nawili, Cven gabriaZis eniT avmetyveldiT. saocaria, rom am „enis“ mimarT Tanabrad mgrZnobiare gamodga qarTveli, frangi, rusi, ingliseli Tu germaneli adamiani. „aris quTaisSi qaris erTi moZraoba: aRarc qaria ukve da arc niavia jer. glicerinis suni aqvs, Tbilia, uqmea, zedmetad zrdilobiani, Cemi neba rom iyos, me mas liziko gabunias davarqmevdi da quTaisis pedinstitutSi Cavricxavdi franguli enis fakultetze ugamocdod...“ es umaRlesi xarisxis literaturuli pilotaJia, rasac nebismieri epoqisa da erovnebis prozaikosi inatrebda. magram amasTan erTad amaSi aris raRac ganumeoreblad

world, the humor and sadness in his tiny worlds, characters and scenes is reflected in each and every painting. The series of hilarious and warm paintings called ‘The fathers of human culture’ is an ironic hagiography of the lives of Goethe, Pushkin and Galaktioni. I feel that the best term to use when describing the style of his paintings would be “Gabriadze magic”.

But first and foremost, Rezo Gabriadze is a novelist and a playwright. He invented his own, unique language, and the latter turned out to be familiar to all of us. The most surprising fact is that “Gabriadze’s language” sounds natural both in Georgian and Russian literary languages. In both Russian and Georgian, Rezo manages to find constructs, linguistic materials, intonations, rhythms and modesty that he needs. Unforgettable phrases from ‘Arachveulebrivi Gamopena’ (Extraordinary Exhibition), ‘Qvevri’, ‘Mimino’ or ‘Kin-dzadza!’ became part of our everyday vocabulary, and we started to communicate in “Gabriadze’s language”. It is amazing that Georgian, French, Russian, English, and German people were equally sensitive to his “language”.

“The movement of the air in Kutaisi can never rise to a wind, nor can it drop to a breeze. It smells of glycerin and is delightfully mellow, comfortably soothing and unfailingly polite. I would gladly call it Liziko Gabunia and would even enroll it (without exams) at the French language department of the Kutaisi

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qarTuli, imeruli, gnebavT quTaisuri; aq aris Cveni gaxevebuli sulebisTvis xandaxan Znelad gadasatani sinaze da wynari sinaTlis tkivilamde misuli gancda. iq, sadac axla rezoa, zeciuri saqarTvelo ar aris... iq usasrulo sivrcea da gamqrali dro. magram qristefores genialuri caTmfrenidan Turme iseTi raRaceebi moCans, rasac miwier saqarTveloSi Cven ver vamCnevT da ver vxedavT. „gadaufrines xuxulebs, baRnarebs, Zvelsa da axal mkvdrebs, dablebs, maRlebs, wmindanebs, yomarbazebs, Tamar mefis saflavs, fexmZime gimnazistkas, mcxeTas, alaverds, Ciqovanebis saZvales, xatis miwebs, nasaxlars, gatexil cixeebs, mitovebul saydrebs... gadaufrines mRvdlis venaxs, qliavbardebs, patara maRaros, tatias qoxs, facias kakals, erTi sityviT, rasac Cven saqarTvelos vuwodebT“. me am CamonaTvals aucileblad davamatebdi marionetebis TetrTan mdgar gadabrecil koSks, romelSic rezos oqrosCaquCiani angelozi cxovrobs.

Pedagogical Institute”. This is an example of literary technique of the highest quality, that novelists from any era or nationality dream of having. But at the same time, this has something uniquely Georgian, Imeretian, Kutaisian, if you will; this has an emotion that is utterly fragile, that has the feel of a calming light that is a little hard to digest for our stiff souls.

Where Rezo is now, there is no heavenly Georgia... There is infinite space and the time has disappeared. But it turns out that from the “flying apparatus” of Qristepore, one can see things that we never notice or understand on earthly Georgia.

“They flew over huts, gardens, dead and deceased, lowlands, highlands, saints, knucklebones, Queen Tamar’s grave, a pregnant high school student, Mtskheta, Alaverdi, the Chikovani crypt, lands of icons, settlements, abandoned churches, they flew over a priest’s vineyard, plum orchards, a small mine, Tatia’s hut, Patsia’s nuts, in a word they flew over everything we call Georgia.”

I would absolutely add Gabridze’s fairytale clock tower to this list, located next to the Marionette Theatre, where an angel with a golden hammer lives.

08.07.21

08.07.21

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Salva amiranaSvili

gelaTis mozaika, rogorc kedlis mxatvrobis mowinave Zegli

Shalva Amiranashvili

THE GELATI MOSAIC AS A PROGRESSIVE MONUMENT OF MURAL ART - 36 -

2 (24) 2021

me-12 saukunis pirveli naxevris qarTuli kedlis mxatvrobis Zeglebs Soris gansakuTrebuli adgili uWiravs gelaTis mozaikas, romelic daculia mTavari taZris konqSi da TariRdeba zustad 1125-1130 wlebiT. mozaikuri mxatvroba qarTuli xelovnebis tradiciis mixedviT, sakurTxevlis konqs amkobs. taZris danarCeni nawili Tavdapirvelad moxatuli yofila freskebiT, romelTa didi nawili ganaxlebuli yofila sxvadasxva dros. taZris dasavleT narTeqsSi darCenilia taZris agebis droindeli freskuli mxatvroba, romelic msoflio saeklesio krebebs gamosaxavs. freskuli da mozaikuri mxatvrobis erT ZeglSi Tanaarsebobas bizantiur xelovnebaSi analogi ar moeZebneba. kompoziciis centrSi oqros fonze warmodgenilia RvTismSobeli mTeli taniT, romelsac xelSi Cvili hyavs. mis orive mares mowiwebiT pozaSi dganan mTavarangelozni miqaeli da gabrieli. gelaTis mozaikaSi gamosaxuli RvTismSoblis figura, bizantiuri Zeglebisgan (nikeis, veneciis kardinal zenis kapelis da axlaxans konstantinopolis wm. sofiis taZris samxreT karibWeSi

The Gelati mosaic holds a special place among the Georgian mural artworks from the first half of the 12th century. It is preserved in the apse of the main temple and dates to the years 1125-1330.

According to Georgian tradition, the mosaic encloses the apse of the altar. The remaining part of the temple is painted with frescoes, a large part of which have been renovated at different times. Frescoes that date to the construction of the temple, depicting world ecclesiastic gatherings, remain in the western narthex.

The existence of frescoes and mosaics in one monument has no analog in Byzantine art.

In the center of the composition, the Virgin Mary’s body is depicted in full, holding he baby Jesus, on a gold background.

Archangels Michael and Gabriel humbly stand at her sides. The figure of the Virgin Mary on the Byzantine mosaic is slightly tilted, unlike the depictions in Byzantine monuments (in Nicaea, the Chapel of the Cardinal Zen in Venice, and recently Constantinople, on a mosaic found in the southern gate of the Sophia Cathedral).

Her being slightly tilted gives her a certain dynamism, which is unfamiliar to the central figure in the apse of the altar in Byzantine art.

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aRmoCenili mozaikisagan) gansxvavebiT, odnav gadaxrilia, rac mas Tavisebur dinamikurobas aniWebs, romelic ucnobia bizantiur xelovnebaSi sakurTxevlis afsidSi moTavsebuli centraluri figurisaTvis. qarTul, bizantiursa da aRmosavlur-qristianul xelovnebaSi Cviledi RvTismSoblisa da mis winaSe mdgom angelozTa gamosaxulebis SedarebiTi analizi saSualebas gvaZlevs, davadginoT rom mas safuZvlad aqvs RvTismSoblis `nikopeis~ tipi, romelic mavriki keisris droidan saimperatoro saxlis mfarvels warmoadgenda.

RvTismSoblis gamosaxulebis `nikopeis~ tips ramdenime varianti moeZebneba, romlebic erTimeorisgan gairCeva emanuelis figuris dayenebiT da imiT, gamosaxulia Tu ara maT winaSe mdgom angelozTa an saimperatoro saxlis warmomadgenelTa figurebi. gelaTis mozaikas qarTul xelovnebaSi axlo paralelebi moeZebneba (ateni, ifrari da sxva). rogorc wesi, bizantiur xelovnebaSi RvTismSobeli warmodgenilia frontalurad xatwerisTvis damaxasiaTebel pozaSi, rac adrindeli xanis tradiciaze miuTiTebs, romelic genetikurad akavSirebs Cviledi RvTismSoblis aRniSnul tips xatebze mocemul tipTan. gelaTis mozaikaSi bizantiuri tradicia darRveulia, RvTismSoblis figura odnav gadaxrilia marjvniv. mis

The comparative analysis of the Madonna and the angels in front of her in Georgian, Byzantine, and Oriental-Christian art enables us to establish that she is of the Nicopean type, which has been the patron saint of the Imperial House since Emperor Maurice. There are several kinds of the Nicopean Virgin Marys, which can be differentiated by comparing them to Emmanuel’s figure and by whether the angels and representatives of the Imperial House are present in front of them. Close analogies of the Gelati mosaic are found in Georgian art (Ateni, Ifrari, etc…).

Usually, in Byzantine art, the Virgin Mary is depicted in a frontal posture, the posture typically seen in icons, which speaks on its ancient tradition, and genetically connects the Madonna type to that depicted in icons.

This Byzantine tradition is broken on the Gelati mosaic, since the Virgin Mary is slightly leaning to the right. Hence, the Virgin (wearing a dark blue garment) and the figure of a young man in holy clothes are depicted in relief on the gold background. The Gelati mosaic also broke the apse’s compositions and their festive monumental style, which was present in the mural art of the capitals of Sicily and Byzantine. The dynamism of the Madonna is accentuated by the archangels standing in front of her, and by the calm poses of Michael and Gabriel’s great figures.

The dynamism in the center of the composition is something completely unprecedented. It represents a daring artistic style,

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gamo, muqlurjsamosliani RvTismSoblisa da brwyinvale tansacmelSi mocemuli yrmis figura, mxatvrobis oqros fonze reliefurad gamoirCeva. gelaTis mozaikam daarRvia konqis kompoziciebis, sazeimo monumenturi stili, romelic damkvidrebuli iyo siciliisa da bizantiis dedaqalaqis kedlis mxatvrobaSi. Cviledi RvTismSoblis gamosaxulebis dinamikuroba aqcentirebulia mis winaSe mdgom mTavarangelozTa _ miqelisa da gabrielis diadi figurebis mSvidi poziT. konqis mxatvrobis kompoziciis centrSi dinamikurobis Setana warmoadgens sruliad axals, gabedul mxatvrul xerxs, romelic pirvelad, am epoqis monumentur xelovnebaSi, gelaTis mozaikis genialurma ostatma Seitana. aRniSnuli xerxi warmoadgens axals, daviT aRmaSeneblisa da petre iberis epoqis monumenturi ferwerisaTvis damaxasiaTebel mxatvrul movlenas, romelmac Tavisi Semdgomi ganviTareba Tamar mefis drois monumentur ferweraSi hpova. mcireoden grZeli, odmavSesamCnevi kexiani cxviri, SedarebiT patara bageni da nikapTan odnav wawvetebuli saxe warmoadgen bizantiur xelovnebaSi damkvidrebul RvTismSoblis saxisTvis damaxasiaTebel niSnebs, romlebic cnobilia kiprosis angelozTqmnili panagiisa da nikeis taZrebis mozaikaSi da agreTve konstantinopolis wm. sofiis mozaikur mxatvrobaSi. miuxedavad imisa, rom aq

which was first introduced in this era by the genius master of the Gelati mosaic. This method represents a new artistic event, dating from David the Builder and Peter the Iberian's eras of monumental artworks, which evolved during the time of Tamar of Georgia.

A slightly longer, more noticeable crooked nose, relatively small lips, and a face with a pointy chin make up the characteristics of the Virgin Mary in Byzantine art, which can also be found in the mosaics of the churches of Panagia and Nicaea in Cyprus, as well as in the mosaic of Saint Sophia of Constantinople. Although the monuments listed above belong to different eras and differ greatly in styles, it is impossible not to notice that they are all based on the same understanding of the Virgin Mary, which was born in the Eastern Greek artistic circle. The Virgin Mary in the Gelati Mosaic can be characterized by an oval face, a larger chin, slightly narrow eyes, and thinner eyelids. Nicaea, Cyprus, and St Sophia’s mosaics are characterized by wide eyelids, thin and crooked noses, and curved incisions on their thin lips. The face of the Virgin Mary in the Gelati mosaic has more relief than that of the Saint Sophia mosaic. The arrangement of the pebbles is also denser.

The Gelati mosaic does not depict an infant but a young boy: Emmanuel. His tall freely sat posture and stern expression are in agreement with Emmanuel’s type of theological dogmatic understanding.

The master of the Gelati mosaic gave the traditional iconographic image of the archangels Michael and Gabriel a particular aura and meaning. Archangel Michael, as the stern face of the representative of the Heavens, is in divergence with the vivid and distinctly modeled face of Gabriel the archangel, God’s messenger. On the one hand, the contrasting divergence of the colors of the angel’s precious garments, the masterful connection between the center of the composition and the general colors of the archangels, is a fundamentally new occurrence in the mosaic art practices of that era.

The Gelati mosaic is an artistically profound and monumental work, which, with its cultural level, is equal to the advanced works of the field of mural art in the 12th century. The artist thought of every detail of the composition separately and merged them, both in terms of composition and in terms of colors, in a way that brings the onlooker’s attention to the Virgin Mary and Emmanuel.

The master of the Gelati Mosaic is a great innovator of monumental mosaic. He broke the traditions present in Byzantine art and added dynamism and life to the central composition of the mosaic of the altar apse.

“History of Georgian Art” 1971

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dasaxelebuli Zeglebi sxvadasxva dros ekuTvnian da stilis mixedviT arsebiTad gansxvavdebian, SeuZlebelia ar SevniSnoT, rom maT safuZvlad aqvT RvTismSoblis saxis erTi gageba, romelic Seqmnilia aRmosavlurberZnul mxatvrul wreSi. gelaTis mozaikaSi mocemuli RvTismSoblisaTvis damaxasiaTebelia pirisaxis ovalis wagrZeleba, SedarebiT didi nikapi, Tvalebis wagrZelebuli Wrili, viwro zeda quTuTo; nikeisa, kviprosis da wm. sofiis mozaikebisaTvis damaxasiaTebelia farTo zeda quTuTo, Txeli da kexiani cxviri da patara bageTa mrude Wrili. gelaTis mozaikis RvTismSoblis saxe, sofiis mozaikasTan SedarebiT ufro reliefuradaa modelirebuli da mozaikis kenWebis wyobac ufro mWidroa. gelaTis mozaikaze Cvili ki araa gamosaxuli, aramed yrma emanueli. misi maRali da Tavisuflad mjdomare figuris poza da, saerTod mkacri gamometyveleba savsebiT eTanxmeba emanuelis tipis saRvTismetyvelo dogmatur gagebas. gelaTis mozaikis ostatma miqel da gabriel mTavarangelozTa tradiciul ikonografiul gamosaxulebas Taviseburad metyveli ieri da Sinaarsi misca. mTavarangeloz miqels, rogorc zeciuri mxedrobis warmomadgenlis mkacr saxes, RvTis nebis

mauwyeblis gabriel mTavarangelozis cocxali da mkafiod modelirebuli saxe daupirispira. angelozTa Zvirfasi samosisa da saxeebis aferadebis kontrastuli dapirispireba, erTi mxriv da meore mxriv, mTavarangelozTa zogadi aferadebis gamis kompoziciis centrTan ostaturi dakavSireba, im epoqis mozaikur mxatvrobaSi, arsebiTad axal movlenas warmoadgens. gelaTis mozaika mxatvruli TvalsazrisiT warmoadgens monumenturi ferweris Rrmad gaazrebulsa da srulyofil nawarmoebs, romelic Tavisi saerTo kulturuli doniT me-12 saukunis pirveli naxevris kedlis mxatvrobis mowinave nawarmoebTa doneze dgas. mxatvarma gaiazra kompoziciis yoveli detali cal-calke da SeaTanxma isini, rogorc kompoziciurad, aseve ferweris TvalsazrisiT imgvarad, rom mayureblis yuradRebis mTavari aqcenti RvTismSobels da emanuels miapyro. gelaTis mozaikis ostati monumenturi ferweris did novatorad gvevlineba. man daarRvia bizantiuri xelovnebis mxatvruli tradicia da sakurTxevlis afsidis mxatvrobis centralur kompoziciaSi dinamikuroba da sicocxle Seitana.

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`qarTuli xelovnebis istoria~ 1971 w.

2 (24) 2021

kaxa jamburia

sad aris qarTuli kultura?

Kakha Jamburia

Where is Georgian culture?

erT konkretul istoriul momentSi Tomas manma sruliad warmoudgeneli fraza warmoTqva: „sadac me var, germanuli kulturac iq aris!“ es iyo silis gawna mTeli nacisturi ideologiisaTvis, romelic gamodioda pretenziiT, rom qmnida axal adamians, nicSes filosofias amofarebuli ideologebi amtkicebdnen, rom amkvidrebdnen axal azrovnebas da axal kulturas. sxvaTa Soris, igive pretenzia hqonda komunistur ideologias sabWoTa imperiaSic, rom bolSevikebi qmnidnen axal adamians, marqsis filosofias amofarebuli ideologebi

In a historic moment, Thomas Mann said a completely unpredictable sentence: “German culture is where I am!”. This was a slap in the face to the whole German ideology of the time, which was presenting itself as the creator of a new kind of human being – concealing itself behind Nietzsche’s philosophy, it was pretending to establish a new way of thinking and culture. By the way, the communist ideology of the soviet empire was claiming to do the same – that the Bolsheviks were creating a new kind of human being, and concealing itself behind Marxist philosophy, it was pretending to establish a new way of thinking and culture! I know there is no need

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amtkicebdnen, rom amkvidrebdnen axal azrovnebasa da axal kulturas! sinamdvileSi ra da rogor iyo, amas Cemi axsna-ganmarteba namdvilad ar sWirdeba, Tumca mainc maqvs survili erTi ram davamato yvelasTvis cnobil viTarebas: qarTuli kultura gadaarCina sabWoTa ideologiasTan dapirispirebam da brZolam erovnuli TviTSegnebis gamofxizlebisTvis. es iyo maSindeli qarTuli kulturis azri da mizandasaxuloba, Tu gnebavT funqciac, radgan amas safuZvels uqmnida me-19 saukunis qarTvel moRvaweTa mier damkvidrebuli gageba _ ra daniSnuleba aqvs xelovnebas. damoukideblobis periodSi (konkretulad ki 1991 wlidan) yvelaferi Seicvala: qarTul kulturas umTavresi da umniSvnelovanesi daniSnuleba moulodnelad gamoecala da brZola erovnuli TviTgadarCenisTvis (aqedan gamomdinare, alegoriuli formebiTa da metaforuli azrovnebiT) sruliad ufunqcio da araaqtualuri gaxda. amas Tan daerTo sxva, aranakleb mniSvnelovani faqtorebic: niaRvariviT SemoWrili popkultura da xelovnebis sruli komercializacia, ramac am saukuneSi ukve savsebiT naTeli gaxada is garemoeba, romelic bundovnad iyo gamokveTili me-20 saukunis dasasruls: Cven humanitaruli krizisis xanaSi vcxovrobT, anu yovelive Rirebulis komercializaciisa da teqnokratiuli azrovnebis zeobis epoqaSi. veravin ityvis, rom saqarTvelo da qarTuli sazogadoeba am realobaSi ukeT grZnobs Tavs, vidre sabWoTa imperiis tyveobaSi. nuravin damabralebs sabWoTa marazmis nostalgias. is rom sazizRroba iyo, sulac ar niSnavs imas, rom axali realoba idealuria. idealuri ki ara, ubralod kargic ver iqneba, radgan Cven ar aRmovCndiT mzad TavisuflebisTvis. ramdenadac paradoqsulad ar unda JRerdes es gancxadeba, Cveni warsulis miuxedavad, Cven, rogorc Cans, arc gvindoda am ucnaurad mZime tvirTis zidva da gverCivna kargad, Tbilad mowyobili sabWoTa Waobi da gauTavebeli wuwuni damoukideblobis Sesaxeb. damoukideblobis mopovebisTanave aRmoCnda, rom sruliad ukulturo da gaunaTlebeli xalxi vyofilvarT, romelic SeiZleba ucbad daqsaqso, miusio erTmaneTs, daangrevino qveyana da daaxocvino uamravi

to explain what the actual situation was, but I would like to add a piece of the puzzle to the story everybody already knows: Georgian culture was saved by opposing soviet ideology, and thanks to the struggle to revive national consciousness. This was the essence and goal of Georgian culture at the time, its function, if you will, as it was based on an understanding of the purpose of art established by Georgian figures in the 19th century.

During the independence period (more specifically, from 1991), everything changed: Georgian culture was unexpectedly stripped of its most important purpose, as fighting for national survival (including in allegoric and metaphoric forms) had lost all relevance. There were other non-negligible factors: a massive inflow of pop culture, and the total commercialization of art, which shed light on a phenomenon that was already noticeable in the end of the 20th century – that we are living in a period of human crisis, in an epoch where everything valuable is commercialized, and technocratic thinking is glorified.

Nobody can say that Georgia and the Georgian society feel better in this reality, compared to when they were in the captivity of the soviet empire. Please do not accuse me of being nostalgic of the abomination that was the Soviet Union. But the fact that it was an abomination does not make our new reality ideal. Far from ideal, it isn’t even good, because we turned out unready for freedom. As paradoxical as it might sound, it seems that despite our past, we didn’t want to carry this heavy burden, and would have preferred the warm soviet swamp and eternally complaining about independence.

As soon as we got our independence, it became clear that we were an uncultured and uneducated people, one that can easily be divided, turned against itself, made to destroy its own country, and kill numerous people. Our supposedly distinguished character, love for one another, reliability, and savoir-vivre all appeared for what they were: myths. Vazha-Pshavela’s works are more museum exhibits to us, rather than ideals in some way applied in everyday life. Unfortunately, Vazha’s world couldn’t influence our consciousness in any way. The evolution of our way of life is taking a completely different path – the development of technology, and this is not a problem that is exclusive to our country, this is true of our whole technocratic world in general, and naturally, it didn’t start today.

The influence of religious and philosophical thinking has been decreasing since the Enlightenment period, and together with the development of science, societies in various countries or cultures have a strengthened belief in human intelligence and potential.

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adamiani. miTi aRmoCnda Cveni gansakuTrebuloba, urTierTsiyvaruli da dandobis unari, yofiTi kultura da sxv. ase rom, vaJa-fSavelas Semoqmedeba sinamdvileSi CvenTvis samuzeumo eqsponatia da ara realur yofasTan ramenair kavSirSi myofi idealebi. samwuxarod, vaJas samyaro veraviTar gavlenas ver axdens Cvens cnobierebaze. cxovreba sul sxva _ teqnologiuri saSualebebis ganviTarebis _ gziT midis da es sulac ar aris mxolod Cveni qveynis problema, aseTia dRevandeli teqnokratiuli msoflio da, cxadia, es yvelaferi dRes ar dawyebula. ganmanaTleblobis xanidan moyolebuli iklebs religiuri da filosofiuri azrovnebis gavlena da mecnierebis ganviTarebasTan erTad sxvadasxva qveynisa Tu kulturis sazogadoebebSi Zlierdeba adamianuri gonebisa da SesaZleblobebis rwmena. adamiani cxaddeba bunebis (SeiZleba iTqvas, mTeli samyaros) gvirgvinad, rac TiTqosda mas ganusazRvrel uflebebs aniWebs _ magaliTad, imis uflebas, rogorc unda, ise moeqces planetis florasa da faunas: gadawyvitos, cocxal arsebaTa romel jiSsa Tu saxeobas aqvs arsebobis ufleba da romels _ ara, anu romeli daxocos da gaanadguros, romeli Seifaros nakrZalebSi da misces arsebobis ufleba. aseve moeqces bunebas: gadawyvitos, unda idinos Tu ara mdinarem da, Tu unda mainc idinos, rogor da ratom _ anu ra sargebels moitans misi dineba. iqneb adamianis miznebisTvis jobia davaguboT, vaqcioT tbad, wyalsacavad, kaSxlisTvis saWiro masalad, rom mere visargebloT energiiT. aba ra vqnaT, ar ganvviTardeT? civilizaciaze uari vTqvaT? warmoebebi gavaCeroT mxolod imitom, rom bunebrivi resursebi odesme amoiwureba? rom amoiwureba, mere vilaparakoT, manamde ki amovqaCoT navTobi da gazi, davaguboT wylis resursebi, rom meti energia gvqondes. ai, es aris Tanamedrove civilizaciis ganviTarebis magistraluri xazi, romelsac yvela da yvelaferi emorCileba. da Tuki vinme winaaRmdegobas gauwevs amgvar teqnokratiul msoflmxedvelobaze damyarebul civilizacias, mas ubralod gamouyenebeli da usargeblo nivTiviT moisvris teqnokratiuli sazogadoeba da, amave dros, bneleTis mociqulad an romelime mtruli qveynis agentadac gamoacxadebs. es yvelaferi ki moxdeba

Humans appear as nature’s (or even the world’s) crown, which supposedly provides them with unlimited rights – for instance, the right to decide how they should treat the planet’s flora and fauna, to decide which race or species of living beings has the right to live, and which should disappear, or in other words, which ones humans should exterminate, and which ones they should let live in natural reserves. Humans also decide how they behave towards nature, for instance, if a river should flow or not, and if it flows, how and why it flows – what benefit its flow will bring to humans. Perhaps, for the sake of human goals, it would be better to dam the water, to transform it into a lake, a reservoir, so we can benefit from its energy.

No? So you are saying we shouldn’t develop? You are saying that we should say no to civilization? That we should stop factories only because natural resources will one day become exhausted? Let’s speak about this when they are exhausted, and until then, let us pump oil and gas, and dam water resources, so we have more energy.

These are the main lines of our modern civilization’s development, and everything and everybody has to abide by them. If someone voices their opposition to this civilization based on a technocratic worldview, our technocratic society will simply throw them away like a useless object, and at the same time, it will declare them an apostle of obscurantism or an agent of some enemy country. And all this will happen in the name of progress, the well-being of the society, and a better future! Just like nazis, fascists and communists were preaching that there are ideals for which individuals should be sacrificed – be it one individual or tens of thousands of them.

This is the human crisis we are dealing with. There is a deficit in humanity when even one individual has no value, or when they only have value if they are a billionaire, a multimillionaire, or at least a minister! Others might be sacrificed just like Titsian Tabidze or Mikheil Javakhishvili were sacrificed back then, for ideals (ideals are inadmissible to everyone today). The technocratic society was the same when it put the creation of an atomic or hydrogen bomb as its objective, and it is the same now, when Lenin’s “wisdom” has become topical again: communism is soviet rule plus electricity. Today, it sounds like this: democracy is capitalism plus energy dependence!

This is progress, and Vazha-Pshavela didn’t know nothing about it! “Don’t kill a fawn; nature is harmonious, don’t destroy it” – how could the author of these words understand what progress and energy dependency actually mean? He must have been as ignorant as American author Kurt Vonnegut, who published the novel ‘Player Piano’ 60 years ago, in which he showed how the principles of a

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progresis, sazogadoebis keTildReobisa da ukeTesi momavlis saxeliT! swored ise, rogorc qadagebdnen nacistebi, faSistebi da komunistebi, romlebic acxadebdnen, rom arsebobs iseTi idealebi, romlis gulisTvisac calkeuli adamianebi unda gaiwiron _ zog SemTxvevaSi es erTi kaci iqneba, zog SemTxvevaSi ki aTeuli aTasic. ai, es aris humanitaruli krizisi. anu humanizmis deficitia is, rodesac erT adamians TavisTavadi Rirebuleba ara aqvs, an mxolod im SemTxvevaSi aqvs, Tu is aris miliarderi, multimilioneri an, ukidures SemTxvevaSi, romelime ministri mainc! sxvebi SeiZleba gaiwiron iseve, rogorc Tavis droze tician tabiZe an mixeil javaxiSvili gaiwirnen raRac (dRes ukve yvelasTvis gaugebari da miuRebeli) idealebis gamo. teqnokratiuli sazogadoeba aseTi iyo maSin, rodesac atomuri Tu wyalbadis bombis Seqmnas isaxavda miznad da aseTia dResac, rodesac isev aqtualuri xdeba leninis „sibrZne“: komunizmi aris sabWoTa xelisuflebas plus eleqtrofikacia. dRes es amgvarad JRers: demokratia aris kapitalizmi plus energodamoukidebloba! ai, es aris progresi, Torem aba, vaJa-fSavelas esmoda rame?

Svlis nukri ar moklao da buneba harmoniulia da ar gaanadguroo _ magas esmoda, ra aris progresi da energodamoukidebloba? cxadia, masac iseve araferi esmoda, rogorc amerikel mwerals _ kurt voneguts, romelmac 60 wlis win gamoaqveyna romani „meqanikuri pianino“, romelSic aCvena, rom teqnologiuri sazogadoebis principebisa da kompiuteruli teqnologiebis ganviTareba nel-nela mospobs, saerTod asparezidan gaaqrobs adamians im ubralo mizezis gamo, rom igi saWiro aRar iqneba! diax, fantastikaa _ iseTive, rogoric iyo Jiul vernis wyalqveSa navi (Tumca is xom axda da es ki, TavisTavad cxadia, ar axdeba). adamians araferi ar emuqreba, miuxedavad imisa, rom bunebis uzurpaciis Sedegad gadaiwva amazonis tyeebi, lamis mTlianad ganadgurda avstraliis kontinenti da globaluri daTbobis pirobebSi daiwyo yinulebis masobrivi dnoba. mere ra? axla xom komfortia mTavari da ara is, Tu ra moxdeba erTi (an, yvelaze uaresi, naxevari) saukunis Semdeg? ara, ara, komforti ki ara, mTavaria progresi, rac gulisxmobs

society based on technology and the development of computers will gradually replace humans, for the simple reason that the latter will not be useful anymore!

Yes, this is science-fiction, just like Jules Verne’s submarine (the submarine might have actually been made, but of course, Vonnegut predictions can’t be true). There is no threat to humanity, if we do not consider that because of the usurpation of nature, Amazon forests were burned to the ground, the continent of Australia got almost completely ruined, and global warming has started a massive ice melting process. So what? The most important is that there is comfort now, and not what will happen in a century, or in the worst case, in half a century. Actually, the most important is not our comfort, but progress, which means democracy plus energy dependency, or something like that.

This restless Kurt Vonnegut wrote another, even more terrible book, with an even meaningless title – ‘Cat’s Cradle’, in which he put a genius physicist, one that looks a bit like Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. They ordered him to invent a device that would dry up swamps very fast, because during the Vietnam war, swamps were problematic for the landing of American troops. And naturally, he did, for the progress and the triumph of democracy, create such a material (Ice N9), which could fit in a small test-tube in a soldier’s pocket. And thus, when they were finding themselves in front of a swamp, they would put one drop of this product in the swamp, and everything would freeze, and they could walk on the top of the swamp, which was hard as a rock, and not get their feet stuck anywhere. This is what the development of science can bring! But one unpleasant aspect comes with all this, one that the genius scientist didn’t take into account – on Earth, everything is connected. But why should he have taken that into account?! It’s just that the freezing of that one swamp was followed by the freezing of its tributaries and other connected watercourses, then seas and rivers, then oceans, and consequently, led to the end of civilization!

As they say: “oops!”

What can we do, it happens – the development of science and technical progress demands sacrifices, you know? Do you want to go back to living in caves? As for the dystopias imagined by Vonnegut, they are nothing more than fantasy! It might seem that recently, reality looks more and more like this fantasy, but that doesn’t mean anything – when we are not there anymore, does it even matter what happens?

Sometimes, people ask themselves strange questions: do people

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demokratias plus energodamoukidebloba, Tu raRac amgvari (ix. zemoT). mokled, im mousvenarma kurt vonegutma kidev erTi saSineli wigni dawera kidev ufro uazro saTauriT _ „katis akvani“, romelSic erTi genialuri fizikosi daxata, cotaTi rom waagavs atomuri bombis mamas, openhaimers. mas daavales, gamoegonebina iseTi saSualeba, romelic Zalze swrafad daaSrobda Waobs, radgan vietnamis omis dros Waobebi problemebs uqmnida amerikel desantebs. manac, cxadia, progresisa da demokratiis gamarjvebis mizniT Seqmna aseTi nivTiereba (yinuli N9), romelic mcire moculobis sinjariT jibeSi eteoda jariskacs. hoda, Waobis win rom aRmoCndeboda, erT wveTs CauSvebda WaobSi da yvelaferi gaiyineboda, mere ki mSvidad gaivlida qvasaviT gayinul zedapirze ise, rom fexi arsad Caefloboda. ai, ra SeuZlia mecnierebis ganviTarebas! Tumca erTi uxerxuloba ki mainc mohyva am yvelafers _ genialurma mecnierma ar gaiTvaliswina, rom dedamiwaze yvelaferi erTmaneTTan kavSirSia, an ratom unda gaeTvaliswinebina! ubralod, erTi Waobis gayinvas misi Senakadebisa da sxva masTan dakavSirebuli wylebis, Semdeg ki zRvebisa da mdinareebis, mere ki okeaneebis gayinva da adamianuri civilizaciis dasasruli mohyva! ai, rogorc ityvian xolme: uuups! ras izam, xdeba xolme _ mecnierebis ganviTareba da teqnikuri progresi msxverpls moiTxovs, aba rogor ginda? isev gamoqvabulebSi vicxovroT? vonegutis mogonili antiutopiebi ki fantaziaa da meti araferi!

Tumca am bolo dros ki cotaTi emsgavseba realobas, magram eg araferi _ Cven rom aRar viqnebiT, mere rac ginda, moxdes... xandaxan iseTi ucnauri kiTxvac daebadeba adamians: rac ufro viTardeba teqnikuri civilizacia, miT ufro bednierebi (an ufro zneobrivebi) xdebian adamianebi? an aseTi win mimavali progresis tkbili nayofi mTeli qveynis an mTeli sazogadoebis sikeTes emsaxureba Tu calkeuli adamianebisas? ai, aseTi sisuleleebic ki SeiZleba ifiqros adamianma. guram doCanaSvilis romanSi „samoseli pirveli“ miCinio uyveba domenikos, rogor gadawyvita erTxel avazakebiT savse etlis ufskrulSi gadaCexa. man

become happier (or more ethical) the more our technological civilization develops? Or: do the sweet fruits of such progress serve the well-being of the whole planet and its society, or do they serve a small minority of people?

Sometimes, people think about stupid subjects like that.

In Guram Dochanashvili’s novel ‘The First Garment’, Michinio tells Domeniko how he once decided to throw away a carriage full of robbers into a precipice. He suddenly threw the coachman on the road, and the carriage, transporting 18 robbers, jumped into the abyss. But there was one more passenger, and he didn’t know who it was. It might have been another robber, or a simple, regular man.

Wouldn’t the murder of 18 robbers justify that of one regular person, even if the latter is innocent? He decided to follow the carriage in the abyss and sacrifice himself too, so that he would be rightful towards this 19th passenger. But at some point, he had an illumination, and understood that nobody had the right to decide someone else’s fate according to one’s own views. So he stopped the carriage at the edge of the cliff. At night, after thinking for a long time, he reached a strange conclusion – that “love is what makes this world go round, Domeniko”.

So according to Guram Dochanashvili, no idea and no ideology is more valuable than an individual, even one regular person – which, in reality, everybody is. People do not have the right to decide the fate of others, as preached by technocratic thinking – it doesn’t matter if one person, or even a hundred persons are forcefully stripped of their homes, if their lands and the graves of their family members are covered with water, as long as progress needs it. The fate of any person has absolutely no value compared to the ideals of universal progress!

These are the views of the technocratic society for which it doesn’t matter what writers write, what representatives of the field of culture have to say, how this or that small and powerless groups try to save our planet, for instance – the Rioni Valley Defenders. Far from supporting them, the majority of our society looks at them with hatred, because they think that if they enable the interests of a few people to prevail, then they will not have electric energy, and that we shouldn’t put the interests of a few families in some valley above our comfort.

Our various governments and officials have more important things to do! Naturally, none of them will ever understand Dostoevsky’s following words: “Our entire humanity is not worth a single tear on a child’s face”. Or: “Hell is the suffering that comes from not being

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moulodnelad meetle gadmoagdo da 18 avazakiT savse etli ufskrulisken gaaqana. magram erTi, mecxramete, mgzavri vin iyo, ar icoda. SeiZleba isic avazaki yofiliyo da SeiZleba Cveulebrivi, rigiTi, arafriT gamorCeuli adamiani. da 18 yaCaRis mkvleloba viTom ar gaamarTlebda erTi, Tundac udanaSaulo, adamianis mkvlelobas? gadawyvita, rom TviTonac gadahyoloda etls da Tavadac gaewira Tavi, rom im, mecxramete, mgzavris winaSe pirnaTeli yofiliyo. magram raRac momentSi goneba gaunaTda da mixvda, rom aravis ar hqonda ufleba, Tavis Sexedulebisamebr gadaewyvita sxva adamianis bedi. zed ufskrulis win gaaCera etli. Rame, fiqris Semdeg, mivida ucnaur daskvnamde, rom „dedamiwas siyvaruli atrialebs, domeniko“. ase rom, guram doCanaSvilis azriT, arc erTi idea da aranairi ideologia ar aris ufro Rirebuli, vidre erTi rigiTi, Tundac arafriT gamorCeuli adamiani, romelic sinamdvileSi mTeli samyaroa. adamians ara aqvs ufleba ise gadawyvitos sxva adamianebis bedi, rogorc amas teqnokratiuli azrovneba qadagebs _ ara uSavs erT (an Tundac as) adamians Tu saxl-kars ZaliT gauyidian, mis kar-midamos da Svilis saflavs wyliT daufaraven, Tuki progress sWirdeba. nebismieri erTi kacis bedi sruliad umniSvneloa sakacobrio progresis idealebTan SedarebiT! es aris im teqnokratiuli sazogadoebis msoflmxedveloba, romlisTvisac araviTari mniSvneloba ara aqvs, ras weren mwerlebi, ras amboben kulturis sferos moRvaweebi, rogor cdiloben Cveni planetis gadarCenas esa Tu is patara da sruliad uZluri jgufebi, magaliTad, rionis xeobis mcvelebi. maT xom Cveni sazogadoebis udidesi nawili ara Tu mxars ar uWers, aramed siZulviliTac ki uyurebs, radgan fiqrobs, rom erTi da ori adamianis interesebs Tu angariSi gauwie, male eleqtroenergia ar geyofa da mere? komfortze maRla davayenoT romeliRac xeobaSi mcxovrebi oriode ojaxis interesi? meti saqme ara aqvT sxvadasxva mTavrobebsa da Cinovnikebs! cxadia, verc erTi maTgani verasodes gaigebs, ras niSnavs dostoevskis naTqvami: bavSvis erT cremlad ar Rirs mTeli kacobriobao, an kidev _ „jojoxeTi aris tkivili imis gamo, rom aRar

able to love”. It isn’t surprising to not understand a man who wrote a whole, unique book to tell his readers: “Love is what makes Earth go round...”

What is this? This is humanism, which, unlike technocratic thinking, states that one human has much more value than any technological breakthrough, scientific accomplishment, or progress – which is often followed by the transformation of peaceful energy into catastrophe.

Wasn’t atomic energy also created with the goal of leading to energetic independence? Or did Chernobyl explode because nothing in the Soviet Union was of good quality, and because security measures were not respected? Was Fukushima a very different occurence? Doesn’t everybody know that everything was as it should have been there? But nature once more showed overly self-confident humans that science cannot predict and compute everything – it cannot predict a Tsunami, nor can it predict earthquakes.

Therefore, technocratic thinking, just like the idealization of progress and of the possibilities of technical science, contain some risks: nobody can say that the Japanese don’t know engineering and construction, or that they don’t conduct seismological research, or do not take into account the risks of exerting an impact on the environment and so on, but they still couldn’t avoid the Fukushima tragedy and the human losses to which it led.

But does all this give us the right to not take anything into account, and not consider other people’s mistakes because of an arrogant stance, because it doesn’t affect us, and because even if the sky falls on someone else’s head, it doesn’t concern us?

Doesn’t that one passenger’s life, for which Michinio couldn’t throw the carriage in the precipice, and thanks to which he later understood some wise truths, represent anything? Are compassion, mercy, or other moral values (not only Christian, but those that are firmly preached by all religions) completely irrelevant compared to technological progress? Will people be happier, the more energy we have? The entire history of humanity shows us that it is naive to believe that everybody will receive an equal part of the benefits produced from the usurpation of nature. And are they even benefits?

As a result of the extraction of oil and gas, the Russian population lives better – are regular Russians happier? Or does this technological progress only serve the goals of oligarchs? Here, naturally, everything will be very different, and the whole society will feel the benefits of energetic independence, absolutely everybody will feel these benefits in their own households, won’t they? I don’t think anyone has the slightest doubt about this.

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ZalgiZs siyvaruli“. ra gasakviria, rom veraferi gaugon kacs, romelic imisTvis werda unikalur wigns, rom mkiTxvelisTvis eTqva: „dedamiwas siyvaruli atrialebs...“ ra aris es? es aris humanizmi, romelic, gansxvavebiT teqnokratiuli azrovnebisagan, acxadebs, rom erT adamians gacilebiT meti Rirebuleba aqvs, vidre nebismier teqnologiur garRvevas, mecnierul miRwevebsa da ybadaRebul progress, romelsac xSirad Tan sdevs mSvidobiani atomuri energiis katastrofad gadaqceva. ra, isic energodamoukideblobis mizniT ar iqmneboda? Tu Cernobili imitom afeTqda, rom sabWoTa kavSirSi araferi ar vargoda da arc usafrTxoebis zomebi iyo daculi, fukuSima xom sruliad sxva movlenaa? xom yvelam kargad icis, rom iq yvelaferi iyo daculi, magram bunebam kidev erTxel aCvena Tavis TavSi zedmetad Tavdajerebul adamians, rom mecnierebas yvelafris gaTvla da gaangariSeba ar SeuZlia _ verc cunams iwinaswarmetyvelebs da verc miwisZvras. maSasadame, teqnokratiuli azrovneba iseve, rogorc progresisa da teqnikuri mecnierebebis SesaZleblobaTa gaidealeba, garkveul safrTxeebs Seicavs: xom veravin ityvis, rom iaponelebma ar ician sainJinro saqme da mSenebloba, an seismologiur kvlevebs ar atareben, ar iTvaliswineben garemoze zemoqmedebis safrTxeebsa da a. S., magram fukuSimas tragedia da adamianuri msxverpli mainc ver aiciles Tavidan. da es yvelaferi gvaZlevs imis uflebas, rom arafers ar gavuwioT angariSi da ar gaviTvaliswinoT sxvisi Secdomebi im ampartavnuli poziciis gamo, rom es Cven ar gvexeba da sxvas mTeli qveyanac rom Tavze daeqces, Cven mainc araferi mogviva? ki magram, is erTi adamiani, romlis gamoc miCiniom etli ufskrulSi ver gadaCexa da mere raRac did sibrZnes mixvda, araviTar Rirebulebas ar warmoadgens? erTmaneTis Wiris gaziareba, urTierTdandoba an sxva zneobrivi (ara marto qristianuli, aramed yvela religiisaTvis uryev WeSmaritebad miCneuli) Rirebulebebi saerTod umniSvneloa teqnikur

progresTan SedarebiT? rac ufro meti energia gveqneba, miT ufro bednieri iqneba adamiani? kacobriobis mTeli istoria gviCvenebs, rom gulubryvilobaa imis dajereba, TiTqos yvelas Tanabrad moxmardeba bunebis uzurpaciis Sedegad miRebuli sikeTe. da namdvilad sikeTea es yvelaferi? gazisa da navTobis mopovebis Sedegad ukeTesad cxovrobs ruseTis mosaxleoba _ ufro bednieria rigiTi adamiani? Tu mxolod oligarqebis miznebs emsaxureba es teqnikuri progresi? CvenTan, TavisTavad cxadia, rom sruliad sxvagvarad iqneba es da energodamoukideblobis umSvenieres nayofs mTeli sazogadoeba, absoluturad yvela adamiani Tavis Tavze igrZnobs, ara? nuTu am cxad WeSmaritebaSi vinmes eWvi epareba?

Tu es yvelaferi cxadia, raRaa sadao? Cveni sazogadoebis yvela wevris bednierebisTvis asea saWiro da ra mniSvneloba aqvs raRac faratina qaRalds, xelSekruleba rom hqvia? ra, vinme zurgze moikidebs am miwas da sadme waiRebs? mTavaria, Semovides investori, Torem romelime ojaxs Tu yvelafers Tavze daamxoben, didi ambavi! am dros berlinSi gamarTul erT-erT yvelaze ufro avtoritetul kinofestivalze gamodis aleqsandre koberiZe, romelmac albaT yvelaze prestiJuli jildo _ kinokritikosTa prizi moipova da jildos gadacemisas, tradiciuli madlobis Tqmis dros, mis ukan uzarmazari ekrani inTeba cisfer fonze qarTuli warweriT _ „rionis xeobis gadarCenisTvis!“ axalgazrda qarTveli reJisori brwyinvale sityvas warmoTqvams da am jildos uZRvnis rionis xeobis mcvelebs. mas ar ainteresebs teqnokratebis argumentebi, radgan kargad icis, rom „mdinarem unda idinos!“ anu mTavari adamiania da ara miTiuri progresi! im erT konkretul momentSi berlinSi, rodesac scenaze qarTveli reJisori idga, teqnokratia damarcxda da gaimarjva humanizmma, am SemTxvevaSi _ qarTulma kulturam. vici, sadac iyo maSin germanuli kultura, qarTuli kultura ki yovelTvis iyo iq, sadac idgnen jemal qarCxaZe da merab mamardaSvili, xolo dRes iq aris, sadac sandro koberiZea!

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If all this is so clear, then why even discuss these matters? They are necessary, for the well-being of our society, and what importance can a mere piece of paper called a contract even hold? Is anyone threatening to take our land on their back and steal it? The most important is for investors to come to Georgia, and if that means that some families’ lives have to be turned inside-out, then so be it, big deal!

Meanwhile, in Berlin, in one of the most authoritative film festivals of the world, Aleksandre Koberidze comes to the stage and becomes the recipient of perhaps the most prestigious award – the FIPRESCI film critics prize. When receiving the award and preparing to say his words of thanks, the enormous screen behind him lights up

with a sky blue background, and one can read on it – “Rioni Valley Movement”! The young Georgian director says brilliant words, and dedicates this award to the defenders of the Rioni Valley. He isn’t interested in the arguments of technocrats, because he knows that “a river should flow!”, or in other words, that humans are the most important thing, and not some mythical progress! During that one specific moment in Berlin, when the Georgian director was standing on the stage, technocracy was defeated by humanism, and in this case – by Georgian culture.

I know where German culture was at that moment, as for Georgian culture, it was always where Jemal Karchkhadze and Merab Mamardashvili used to stand, and today, it is where Sandro Koberidze is!

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merab kezevaZe

gelaTis monasterSi Catarebul samuSaoTa qronika (XIX saukune) Merab Kezevadze

Chronicles of the works carried out at the Gelati Monastery (19th century) gelaTis monasters _ saqarTvelos erTerT umniSvnelovanes religiur da kulturulsaganmanaTleblo centrs _ daarsebidan _ XII s-is dasawyisidan, rogorc ekonomikuri siZlierisTvis, aseve garegani simSvenierisTvis, arasdros mohklebia qarTvel mefeTa Tu saero da sasuliero pirTa yuradReba. sxva mizezebTan erTad, amanac ganapiroba misi SedarebiT

From the founding of the Gelati Monastery – one of the most important religious and cultural-educational centers of Georgia – in the beginning of the 12th century, neither its economic strength, nor its outward beauty were neglected by Georgian kings or national or spiritual figures. This is, along with other reasons, why it has reached us in a relatively unblemished and original state, or in other words, why the main structures of the Gelati Monastery did not undergo

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dauzianebeli da Tavdapirveli saxiT moRweva Cvenamde, anu „gelaTis mTavar nagebobebs didi cvlileba ar ganucdiaT JamTa cvlisagan. Tamamad SeiZleba iTqvas, rom gelaTis ansambli daculobis mxriv, saqarTvelos teritoriaze erTaderTia“. ukanasknelad aq didi aRdgena-ganaxlebis samuSaoebi Caatares imereTis mefe solomon I-ma (17521784 w.w.) da mitropolitma eqvTime genaTelma (1776-1820 w.w.), kerZod, ruseTidan Camotanili rkinis furclebiT gadaixura monastris mTavari Senobebi, ganaxlda samwirveloebi, aRadga galavani da sxv. ruseTis mier imereTis samefos dapyrobam (1810 w.) da imereTSi saeklesio reformis gatarebam (1820 w.) gelaTis monastris ekonomikuri dasusteba gamoiwvia _ igi feodaluri senioridan saeklesio Statis dawesebulebad iqca. axal uflebebSi yofna monasters garegnuladac daetyo _ mzrunvelobas moklebuli eklesiebis da sxva Senobebis fizikur arsebobas safrTxe Seeqmna, amas adastureben, rogorc aq Camosuli mogzaurebi: g. avaliSvili, Jak fransua gamba, frederik diubua de monpere da sxv., aseve monastris mesveurni.

great change through the hands of time. One can proudly say that the level of preservation of the Gelati complex is unmatched on the territory of Georgia. The latest large restoration and renovation works were carried out by King Solomon I (1752-1784) and metropolitan Ekvtime Genateli (1776-1820) – among other things, they roofed the main buildings of the monastery with metal sheets brought from Russia, renovated several parts, and straightened up the fence.

The conquest of the Imeretian Kingdom by Russia (1810) and the ecclesiastic reform carried out in Imereti (1820) led to the economic downfall of the Gelati Monastery – it got downgraded from a seigneurial feudal estate to a church. Operating under new laws also transformed the appearance of the monastery – as the latter was left without care, the physical existence of its churches and other buildings was put into question, which is corroborated by travelers of the time, such as G. Avalishvili, Jacques François Gamba, Frédéric DuBois de Montperreux, and others, as well as by the monastery’s superintendents.

According to a description by famous Swiss scientist and traveler Frédéric DuBois de Montperreux, in 1833, “The garden of these churches are completely unattended, with numerous and various

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cnobili Sveicarieli mecnierisa da mogzauris, frederik diubua de monperes aRwerilobiT, 1833 wlis mdgomareobiT _ „am eklesiebis mimdebare ezo sruliad mouwesrigebelia, aq uamravi sxvadasxva saxis nagebobaa mimofantuli. aqvea gomurebi, ber-monazonTa saknebi, sinamdvileSi naxevrad xisgan aSenebuli patara saxlebi, romlebic kldeebzea dadgmuli, agreTve satrapezoebi, arqiepiskopos-moZRvarisa da arqimandritis sacxovrebeli. am nagebobaTagan erT-erTi, romelic dRes ufro ZvelisZvel sardafs hgavs, vidre sxva rames, uwin romeliRac didi pirovnebis sasaxle unda yofiliyo, radgan masze midgmulia portiki, romelic, marTalia, sakmaod mZimea, magram ornamentebi ar aklia“... Cveni azriT, es ukanaskneli nageboba gelaTis akademiis Senobaa, romelic am dros yovelgvar funqcias moklebulia, Tumca jer kidev srulad dgas Tavis saxuraviT, rasac gelaTis monastris diubuaseuli Canaxatic adasturebs. am Senobaze da saerTod, gelaTis monasterze saintereso cnobebia daculi ufro adrindel, 1826 wels moskovSi gamocemul wignSi „История Грузинской Иерархии“, romelic 1825 wlis 1 ianvris mdgomareobiTaa Sedgenili. ufro

kinds of constructions scattered all around. There are cattle sheds, cells for monks and nuns – in reality, small houses partly built in wood and standing on cliffs – as well as dining rooms, and houses for the archbishop in charge and the archimandrite. One of these buildings, which looks like an ancient basement today, must have been the palace of some great individual in the past, because it is adorned by a portico that might be a bit heavy, but is full of ornaments…” We think that the latest is the building of the Gelati Academy, which had lost all its functions at the time, though it was still standing, with its roof, as shown by the sketches of the Gelati Monastery by Frédéric Dubois.

There are interesting notes about this building, and more generally about the Gelati Monastery, in the book ‘History of the Georgian Clergy’, which was published in Moscow in 1826, and describes the monastery as it was on the 1st of January 1825. The building of the academy is described in more detail by German scientist and traveler Eduard Eikhvald, who visited the Gelati Monastery on the 5th of May 1826. He writes: “There is another large building here, which must have been a residence of King David. To this day, when you get there, they show you the remains of the large marble table on which he ate.

In the entrance to this residential building, there is a dome-shaped roof standing on four columns, which also used to contain a hanging

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vrcladaa akademiis Senoba aRwerili germaneli mecnierisa da mogzauris, eduard aixvaldis mier, romelic 1826 wlis 5 maiss ewvia gelaTs. is wers: „amave dros aq aris kidev erTi didi Senoba, romelic winaT mefe daviTis sadgomi unda yofiliyo. aq amosvlisas axlac gviCveneben marmarilos didi magidis narCens, romelzec is miirTmevda. Sesasvleli am sacxovrebel SenobaSi aris oTx svetze dadgmuli gumbaTovani saxuravi, romelSic Zvelad zari ekida, oTxive sveti erTmaneTisgan gansxvavdeba CuqurTmebiT. ase magaliTad, erTi sveti didi kirqvis masisganaa (blokisganaa) gamoyvanili, da ise, rom mas oTxi patara sveti aqvs gverdebidan; amasTan Sida mxridan or am patara svetis Tavze lomia gamokveTili. es miuTiTebs Zvel droSi am qveyanaSi moqandakeobis maRal doneze; axla aq aseTi vinme ar moiZebneba... Semdeg am Senobis mSvenieri darbazi gaaoxres, radgan mis SuaSi cecxls anTebdnen; amis gamo Weri, romelSic ormagi vardis gvirgvinia amokveTili, da kedlebi Wvartlisagan Savadaa damwvari~. moxmobili aRweriloba kidev erTxel adasturebs, rom Senoba sruladaa SenarCunebuli, oRond ufunqciodaa.

1827 wels gelaTis monastris winamZRvar arqimandrit nikolozis Sedgenili monastris aRwerilobiT „amave ekklesiidam (wm. nikolozis - m.k.) dasavleTisadmi amasTanave siSoreTa didi qviTkirisa kamaraSekruli trapezi, r˜lca aris sigrZiT Tormet naxevari saJeni da siganiT xuTnaxevari x˜aw ara jerovansa saxesa S˜a aris siZvelisa gamo mdgomareobs“. monastris Senobebis am aRwerilobaSi saintereso erTi faqtia _ rkinis furclebiT yvela taZari da samrekloa daxuruli.

1828 wlis 6 martis werilSi gelaTis monastris winamZRvari arqimandriti nikolozi imereTis arqiepiskopos, sofronioss Seaxsenebda gelaTis monastris saWiroebaze adre miweril werils da aRniSnavda: „Tqvenma y῀d usamRvdeloesobamac umjobesad uwyis Tu ra Senoba aqvs gaenaTis monasterSi da sul erTianad eWirveba daxurva r῀lisac erTi mxare didis palatis kidec Camoqceula“. Cveni azriT, es iyo akademiis CrdiloeTi kedlis nawili, romelic, savaraudod, aRar aRdgenila. ufro detalur suraTs iZleva imave winamZRvris 1829 wlis 15 ivlisis werili imereTis arqiepiskopos sofroniosisadmi, romelSic wers, rom gelaTis monasteri „aris s῀d darRvevisa da daqcevasa Sina gansvenebulis gaenaTlis efvTimis (mitropoliti efvTime _ gelaTis eparqiis ukanaskneli mmarTveli. 1820 wlis martSi imereTis ajanyebaSi monawileobisTvis gadaasaxles ruseTSi - m.k.) gayvanis Semdgomidgan arca jangaro, arca zeTi ar wasmia saxuravs monastrisas da wvimisagan ars s῀d erTianad daxvretili, da Sig eklesiaSid (RmrTismSoblis Sobis saxelobis taZari - m.k.) Casdis wyali da egreTuჱ samwirloebSic, da erTianaT ars ukanasknels daoxrebaSid, xolo Senobani didi palati (akademiis Senoba - m.k.), daviT

bell; the ornaments on each of the four columns are different from one another. For instance, one of these columns is made from a massive block of limestone, and includes four little columns on its sides, two of which are surmounted by lions. This points to the high level of sculpture of the time in the country; such sculptors cannot be found anymore… Apart from that, they ravaged the beautiful hall of this building, because they started lighting fires in the middle of it. Because of that, the ceiling, which contained an engraved double crown of roses, were covered in black smoke.” This account proves once more that this building is still completely preserved, though without function. According to a description of the monastery done by archimandrite Nikoloz in 1827, “From the western side of this same church (the church of Saint Nicholas – M.K.), there is a large arched altar done in limestone. Its current improper condition is due to its age.” In the same description, there is another interesting piece of information – all the churches and bell-towers are covered with metal sheets.

In a letter dated 6th of March 1828, archimandrite Nikoloz, the head of the Gelati Monastery, was reminding archbishop Sopronius about the needs of the Gelati Monastery mentioned in the former letter, and noted: “Revered archbishop, you know better than anyone what buildings the Geltai Monastery contains, and that they all need to be

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aRmaSenebelis sasaflavo macxovris kari da didi kari, da egreTuჱ saxlis Senobani iqcevian usaxuravobiT“. aRsaniSnavia, rom arqimandrits amave Sinaarsis weriliT manamde samjer miumarTavs arqiepiskoposisTvis. am werilis daweridan zustad 15 weli gavida, sanam saqarTvelo-imereTis sinodaluri kantora gelaTis monasterSi did saremonto samuSaoebs Seasrulebda. am 15 weliwadSi ki bevri ram sabolood ganadgurda, romelTagan yvelaze samwuxaro didi palatis _ akademiis Senobis kamarovani qvis saxuravis Caqceva iyo, rac Semdeg aRar aRdgenila.

1830 wlis 19 aprils arqimandriti nikolozi isev atyobinebda arqiepiskoposs: „didni Senobani arian moklebul saxuravTagan da iqcevian Cinebulni naSenebni ukeTumca aw mainc ar mieyo xeli samuSaod~ da iTxovda inJinris mivlinebas Casatarebeli samuSaoebis aRsawerad.

1830 wels gelaTis monasterSi inJinris Casvla ar dasturdeba, magram faqtia, rom am wels aq raRac Senobebi gadaixura, „garda didis palatis naxevarisa“. Cveni azriT, es Senobis is nawili iyo, romlis erTi mxaris Camoqceva zemoT moyvanil 1828 wlis werilSia naxsenebi, amitomac veRar moxerxda misi mTlianad gadaxurva. ufro gvianac _ 1833 wlis ivlisSi, isev rom hqonda saxuravi akademiis Senobas, romelic XIX saukunis sabuTebSi ZiriTadad „didi palatis“ saxeliT ixsenieba, garda diubuaseuli Canaxatisa, Cans, imave wlis 20 ivlisis specialuri komisiisgan Sedgenili Semowmebis aqtiT, romelSic vkiTxulobT: „gavCxrikeT ra rkinis saxuravi viTarca TviT gaenaTis monasteris xuTi samwirveloebiTurT, sakuTrad aRSenebulT wmindis giorgis da wmindis nikolozis eklesiaTa, samreklosa da didi qvis palati anu yofili uwindel droTa Sina trapezi ZmebTaTvis, egreTve soxastris dedaT monastris da monazvnebT senakebTa vpoveT maT Sina Semdgomi siZveleni, romelnica miucilebel arian dauyovneblad gakeTebad, raTamca aramivides sruliadca daqcevasa Sina TviT Senobani wvimisa gamo“. komisiis mier aRwerili Sesasrulebeli samuSaoebidan Cans, rom monastris didi taZari, wm. giorgisa da wm. nikolozis eklesiebi da samreklo daxuruli yofila rkinis furclebiT, romlebic SekeTebis Semdeg unda gadaeRebaT, xolo soxastris monastris eklesia, monazvnebis sami senaki da gelaTis monastris didi palati „unda gadaixuros yavriT xelaxliv“ („xelaxliv“ imitom, rom ukve sami wlis gadaxuruli iyo - m.k.), risTvisac saWiro iyo `100 fini, 1100 baska da 30000 xuTi Careqi sigrZis muxis yavari~. masalis CamonaTvali adasturebs, rom „did palats“ am droisTvis isev hqonda adre dazianebuli qvis saxuravis konstruqcia, amitom dokumentSi saubaria am konstruqciis ganaxlebaze (da ara saxuravis gakeTebaze) da gadaxurvaze. es iyo XIX saukuneSi gelaTis

roofed; one side of the Great Hall is also completely in ruins.” We think he was talking of part of the northern wall of the academy, which, most probably, wasn’t restored.

A more detailed picture is given in a letter from the same archimandrite, dated 15th of July 1829, which had the same addressee. In it, archimandrite Nikoloz writes that the Gelati Monastery, “after the exile of Efvtime (metropolitan Efvtime was the last head of the Gelati Eparchy. In March of 1820, he took part in the Imereti Uprising, for which he was deported to Russia – M.K.), has been crumbling and falling apart; no protective layers have been put on the roofs of the monastery, and they are full of holes from the rain, and water gets inside the church (the Church of the Virgin Mary – M.K.), and it is in a terrible condition, while the large hall (the building of the Academy – M.K.), Davit Aghmashenebeli’s grave, the “door of Jesus Christ” and the large gate of the fence, as well as the residential buildings, are all falling apart because they have no roof.” It is worth noting that archimandrite Nikoloz had written three letters of the same essence to the archbishop before sending this

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akademiis gadaxurvis pirveli mcdeloba, romelic ar ganxorcielebula. aqve aRvniSnavT, rom am konstruqciis Cangrevis Semdeg, 1847 wels akademiis gadaxurvis meore mcdelobac, ukve xis konstruqciis mowyobiT, warumateblad dasrulda (dawvrilebiT ixileT m. kezevaZe _ gelaTis akademiis Senobis gadaxurvis ori mcdeloba XIX saukuneSi). sanam zemoTxsenebuli saremonto samuSaoebi Catardeboda gelaTis monasterSi (1846 w.), manamde 1831, 1837, 1840 da 1843 wlebSi zogi ram droebiT SeakeTes. yuradRebas imsaxurebs 1837 wels dawyebuli saremonto samuSaoebi, romelic imave wlis seqtemberSi kavkasiaSi ruseTis imperator nikoloz I-is vizits ukavSirdeba. mefis marSrutSi quTaisi da gelaTic Sedioda. amasTan dakavSirebiT gadawyda aq arsebuli istoriuli Zeglebis SekeTeba-gamSveniereba. am mizniT uwm. sinodis saqarTveloimereTis kantoram quTaisSi da gelaTSi miavlina Tavisi arqiteqtori ripardi, romelmac Seamowma monastris nagebobani da Seadgina 13146,45 maneTis (vercxliT) Rirebulebis samuSaoebis xarjTaRricxva. drois simcirisa (imperatoris Camosvlamde samiode Tve rCeboda) da ufulobis gamo am samuSaoebis mxolod mcire nawili

one. The Georgian-Imeretian office of the Holy Synod would start large renovation works at the Gelati Monastery exactly 15 years after this letter was written, 15 years during which many things were lost forever – with the most regrettable loss being that of the arched stone roof of the Academy building, which was never to be restored.

On the 19th of April 1830, Archimandrite Nikoloz was notifying the archbishop again: “Large buildings are lacking roofs, and they will fall apart if restoration works are still not carried out”, and was asking to send an engineer in order to list the works to be done.

There is no mention of any engineer visiting the Gelati Monastery in 1830, but it is a fact that some buildings were roofed that year, though it wasn’t the case for half of the Academy building. In our opinion, this must be the half that was said to be in ruins in the abovementioned 1828 letter, and this would have been the reason why it was not possible to cover the whole building with a roof.

Apart from a Dubois sketch, there is also a written document about the half-roofed Academy building done by a special commission that was inspecting the monastery in July of 1833. It is worth noting that the Academy building was mainly referred to in 19th century documents as the “Great Chamber”: “We inspected the metal roofs of the five altars of the Gelati Monastery, the Churches of Saint Georgie and Saint Nicholas, the bell-tower and the great stone chamber, or

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Sesrulda, kerZod, wm. giorgis eklesiis dasavleTi minaSeni gadaixura kramitiT, karibWe da TviT eklesia SigniT kacis simaRleze SeaTeTres da daages axali qvis iataki.

1837 wels Catarebuli samuSaoebi mcire da monastris nagebobani saxarbielo mdgomareobaSi rom ar iyo, kargad Cans „gaenaTis monastris gamgeblis iRumenis simeonis“ patakSi imereTis arqiepiskopos sofroniosisadmi: „ama monastersa Sina ars eklesia wmindisa giorgisa, romelica sruliad gaSiSvlda dauxuraobisa gamo da swvims Sid da uxdeba kedlebi, egreTve saarximandrito saxlebi da oTaxebi sruliad gardacarcvil arian da SesaZlo ar aris rom ama momavals zafxulisaTvis ara daixuros da agreTve sazeTo palati da sxva palatebic da tognebic unda gardixuros yvelani, ukeTu inebebs Tqveni maRal yovlad usamRvdeloesoba drozed gankargulebas Torem dairRveva da daiqceva“. pataki 1839 wlis 6 TebervliTaa daTariRebuli. 1840 wlis zafxulSi aq CamoTvlili samuSaoebidan zogierTi ram Sesrulda: SekeTda didi

in other words, the old dining hall, as well as the cells of the convent, and we found the following artefacts and parts that need immediate restoration, so that the inside of the buildings themselves to not get ruined because of the rain.” From the works to be done mentioned by the commission, one can see that the main church of the Monastery, the Church of St. George and St. Nicholas, and the bell-tower were covered in metal sheets, which had to be painted after being installed, while the ascetic church, the three cells of the convent, and the “Great Chamber” of the Gelati Monastery had to be “covered with shingles again” (“again”, because it had been roofed three years earlier – M.K.), which required “100 roof laths, 1100 holders, and 30000 quart-sized oak shingles”. The list of materials shows that the “Great Chamber” still had its damaged stone roof construction, which is why the documents talks of renovating and roofing this construction (and not building one). This was the first attempt of roofing the Gelati Academy building in the 19th century, but it didn’t go through. We will also note that after this construction fell apart, there was a second attempt to cover the Academy building, this time with a wooden

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taZari, wm. giorgis eklesia gadaixura axali yavriT (savaraudod nawili, romelic adrec yavriT yofila daxuruli), yavriTve gadaixura sxva saxlebic. Senobebis yavriT gadaxurva ufro adrec, 1824 welsac dasturdeba, 1831 wels ki TiTqmis yvela Senoba garda eklesiebisa da „garda didi palatis naxevarisa“ gadaixura. 1833 wlis maisSi gelaTis monasterSi Casatarebeli saremonto samuSaoebis aRwera, rac ZiriTadad saxuravebis mowesrigebas gulisxmobda, daevala inJiner-praporSCik SoSins, romelmac, sasuliero pirebTan erTad Seasrula es davaleba. gelaTis monastris mdgomareoba, zemoTCamoTvlili samuSaoebis miuxedavad, sagangaSo rCeboda, gansakuTrebiT RmrTismSoblis Sobis taZari iyo cud dReSi, mis saxuravSic wyali Cadioda. 1843 wlis 9 ivniss monastris winamZRvari arqimandriti efTvime saqarTvelos vikars, goris episkopos nikifores werda: „saxuravi xsenebuli monastrisa (didi taZris - m.k.) oTxives kerZo aglejili ars qarisagan da TiTqmis sruliad Seryeul ars asreT zomamde, romel wvimianis dros xSirad mravlis adgilidam Camodis SigniT monasterSi wvima“. episkoposma nikiforem monastris aseTi mdgomareoba uwm. sinodis saqarTvelo-imereTis kantoras acnoba, saidanac upasuxes: imis gamo, rom arqiteqtor ripards sxvadasxva saqmeebis gamo, ar SeuZlia gelaTSi wasvla, amitom iqneb adgilzeve naxoT vinme iseTi pirovneba, romelic, Tu SesaZlebeli iqneba, ise SeakeTebs didi taZris saxuravs, rom 2-3 weli wvima ar Cavideso. aseTi pirovnebebi sul male ipovnes. eseni iyvnen sofel kursebSi mcxovrebni, saeklesio glexebi: levan, miqela, mose, ivane, mose da daviT berekaSvilebi, svimon da basila uklebebi da basila beroZe. am gvarebis saeklesio glexebi (aseve maRlaqveliZeebic), sul 11 komli, rogorc yvelaze saukeTeso xelosnebi, jer kidev imereTis mefeebis dros, maTive nebarTviT gelaTel mitropolitebs gaTavisuflebuli hyavdaT yvela valdebulebebisgan, samagierod isini awarmoebdnen monastrisa da sxva Senoba-nagebobaTa SekeTebas. ase grZeldeboda rusuli mmarTvelobis SemoRebis Semdegac, vidre 1844 wlamde. 1844 wels ki saero xelisuflebam moindoma maTTvis aRniSnuli privilegiebis CamorTmeva, rac did tragediad miiCnia imereTis eparqiis maSindelma mmarTvelma mitropolitma daviTma, romelic 1844 wlis 15 noembris werilSi saqarTvelo-imereTis samoqalaqo gubernators Txovda maT Zvel uflebebSi datovebas. amave werilSi is kidev erTxel miuTiTebda, rom monasteri Senaxvis saSualebis uqonlobis gamo, mivida did moSlilobamde: ramdenime samonastro Senobebi mTlianad daingra, Zalian daZveldnen da TviT eklesiebi TiTqmis mTlad daziandnen. zemoT naxseneb xelosnebTan, 1843 wlis 2 agvistos, imereTis eparqiis

construction, but it didn’t succeed either (for more details, please read M. Kezevadze’s ‘Two attempts at roofing the Gelati Academy building in the 19th century’).

Before the abovementioned works were carried out at the Gelati Monastery (in 1846), they temporarily repaired some parts in the years 1831, 1837, 1840 and 1843. The most significant repair works were those started in 1837, and they are related to the visit of Russian emperor Nicholas I in the Caucasus in September of that year. The journey of the emperor included Kutaisi and the Gelati Monastery, so it was decided to renovate and embellish existing historic monuments. With this goal in mind, the Georgian-Imeretian office of the Holy Synod sent its architect Ripardi to Kutaisi and Gelati, and the latter inspected the monastery and prepared a budget of 13146,45 rubles for rehabilitation works. Because of the lack of time (there were only about three months left before the arrival of the emperor) and money, only a small portion of these works were carried out, namely the covering of the western annex of the St. Giorgi Church with tiles, the painting of the gate and the interior of the church at man-height, and the installation of a new floor in stone.

The fact that the works carried out at the monastery in 1837 were small in scale, and that despite them, the buildings were still not in an enviable condition, can clearly be understood in a note by “Abbot Simeoni, head of the Gelati Monastery” addressed to Imereti’s archbishop Sopronius: “Inside this monastery, there is the church of St. George, which is now completely bare because it has no roof, and it rains inside of it, and its walls get damaged; it is the same situation for the archimandrite’s houses and rooms, they are completely ruined, it is not possible for them not to be roofed this Summer, and it is the same for the churches and other buildings, so it would be great if you could readily give instructions for their restoration works, otherwise they will fall in ruins”. The report is dated 6th of February 1839. In the summer of 1840, some of the listed works in the report were conducted: the main temple was renovated, the St. George Church was covered with new shingles (probably the part that had already been covered with shingles earlier), and other buildings were covered with shingles too. The covering of buildings with shingles is attested in 1824 too, and in 1831, almost all the buildings, except for the churches and “half of the Great Chamber”, were roofed. In May of 1833, the responsibility of the description of the works to be carried out at the Gelati Monastery, which was mainly consisting of arranging the roofs, was given to engineer and warrant officer Shoshin, who accomplished this task with the help of clergymen.

Despite the abovementioned works, the situation of the Gelati Monastery was still alarming; the main church, the Church of the Virgin Mary, was in a particularly bad condition, as water was coming down through the roof. On the 9th of June 1843, the head of the monastery, archimandrite Eftvime, wrote to the Vicar of Georgia, bishop Nikiphore of Gori: “The wind has ripped up the roof of this monastery (the Church of the Virgin Mary – M. K.) from all directions, and it is completely jolted, to the point that when there is rain, water comes down inside the monastery in many spots.” Bishop Nikiphore

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mmarTvelobam dado kontraqti gelaTis monastris didi taZris saxuravis SekeTebaze. kontraqtis Tanaxmad, maT unda gadaexadaT taZris saxuravis sami kalTa da xiT gadaeWedaT xelaxla, saxuravad Zvelive rkinis furclebi unda exmaraT, SeekeTebinaT gumbaTis jvris fexi ise, rom wyali aRar Casuliyo, gumbaTis fanjrebi, romlebSic wyali Sedioda, xelaxla gamoeSenebinaT aguriT, gumbaTis garSemo saxuravi sagozaviT daegozaT _ aRniSnul samuSaoTa SesrulebisaTvis iTxovdnen 270 maneTs da iZleodnen ori wlis garantias. kontraqti Sesrulda, oRond erTi darRveviT, garantia erTwliani gamodga _ taZarSi wyali isev Cavida.

1844 wlis Semodgomaze arqiteqtorma ripardma gelaTSi Casasvlelad moicala. Seadgina monastris saremonto samuSaoebis xarjTaRricxva gegmebiT da Tavisi Sexedulebebi or variantad moaxsena sinodis kantoras. pirveli varianti iTvaliswinebda monastris yvela nagebobis SekeTebas, meoreSi ki, ripardma RmrTismSoblis Sobis taZris dasavleTis minaSenis da wm. nikolozis eklesiis dangrevis sakiTxi daayena, ris Sedegadac, misi azriT, gaixsneboda taZris xedi da Semcirdeboda SekeTebis xarjebi (quTaisSi myofma ripardma 1837 wels bagratis taZris dangrevac moiTxova - m.k.). sabednierod, am SemTxvevaSi sinodis kantoris mesveurebma windaxeduleba gamoiCines da ripardis es varianti uaryves, radgan maTive azriT (romelic daviT mitropolitma miawodaT - m.k.) amas SeiZleboda „imerel xalxSi“ araswori Sexedulebebi Seeqmna mTavrobis gankargulebebze. ripards daevala ufro mcire moculobis samuSaoTa axali xarjTaRricxvis Sedgena, rac aRasrula kidec.

1845 wlis 22 dekembris brZanebiT, uwmindesi sinodis brZanebis Tanaxmad, saqarTvelo-imereTis sinodalurma kantoram gelaTis monastris safuZvliani SekeTeba ganizraxa, risTvisac gamoyo 7100 man. da 85 kap. vercxliT. 1846 wlis 19 aprils Casatarebeli samuSaoebis saxelmZRvanelod da sameTvalyureod imereTis eparqiis mmarTvelobasTan Seiqmna specialuri komiteti gelaTis monastris arqimandrit svimonis TavmjdomareobiT. gadawyda rom monastris Senobebi daixureboda TunuqiT da SekeTebisTvis saWiro masalebis CamotanasTan erTad, TunuqiT damxurav ostatsac Camoiyvandnen _ ivane stefanes Ze krasovs _ orlovis guberniis qalaq lineviidan; mizezi mowvevisa ki gaxda is, rom „mTels quTaisis uezdSi ar ipoeboda damxuravi Tunuqisa“.

1846 wlis 6 seqtembers krasovs, Tavis moyvanil or muSasTan erTad, dauwyia didi taZris gadaxurva, romelic 10 noembrisTvis dausrulebia. amave TveSi taZari kidec gadauRebiaT. 1847 wlis TebervlisTvis samuSao, ZiriTadad, dasrulda: gadaixura wm. giorgisa da wm. nikolozis eklesiebi, samreklo. sul male saxuravebi

communicated the situation of the monastery to the GeorgianImeretian office of the Holy Synod, and the latter answered: “Since at the present moment, because of various obligations, architect Ripardi cannot go to Gelati, perhaps you could find someone, locally, who could cover the Church of the Virgin Mary in a way that would hinder rain from falling inside for two or three years.” They found such people very fast: inhabitants of village Kursebi, church attendants Levan, Mikela, Mose, Ivane, Mose and Davit Berekashvili, Svimon and Basila Ukleba, and Basila Berodze. The church attendants of these families (as well as the Maghlakvelidze family), 11 households in total, were considered the best artisans, and they were therefore freed from all obligations by the metropolitans of Gelati many generations earlier, with the permission of the King of Imereti, in exchange of which they would repair the monastery and other buildings and constructions.

This even continued after the annexation of Georgia by the Russian empire, until 1844. That year, the authorities decided to cancel the privileges of these families, which was considered a great tragedy by Metropolitan Davit, who was heading the Imereti eparchy at the time; on the 15th of Novemeber 1844, he wrote a letter to the governor of Georgia-Imereti, asking him to retain the privileges of the families. In the same letter, he once again describes how, because of the lack of means to preserve the monastery, the latter was collapsing: several monastery buildings were completely in ruins, they were getting very old, and the churches themselves were damaged almost everywhere.

On the 2nd of August 1843, the administration of the eparchy of Imereti signed a contract with the abovementioned artisans for the renovation of the Gelati Monastery’s Church of the Virgin Mary.

According to this contract, they had to remove three sides of the church’s roof and cover it anew with wood, after which they had to install the already existing metal sheets; they had to repair the foot of the dome’s cross in a way that would make no water pass, to rebuild the windows of the dome, through which water was also passing, with bricks, and to cement the roof around the dome. For these works, they were asking for 270 rubles, and were providing a two-year warranty. The works were carried out, but with one setback: the warranty only worked for a year – water started coming inside the church again.

In Autumn 1844, architect Ripardi took the time to visit Gelati. He created a budget and architectural plans for the renovation works to be held at the monastery, and he presented two options to the Georgian-Imeretian office of the Holy Synod. The first one considered the rehabilitation of all the buildings found at the monastery, while in the second one, Ripardi put forward the destruction of the western annex of the Church of the Virgin Mary and of the Church of St. Nicholas, which would, in his view, have opened the view of the monastery and reduced the costs of the rehabilitation works (while in Kutaisi in 1837, Ripardi had also asked for the destruction of the Bagrati Cathedral – M.K.). Fortunately, this time, the GeorgianImeretian office of the Holy Synod showed some foresight, and excluded the second option offered by Ripardi, as they believed that it could have created wrong sentiments about the government’s

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mwvaned gadaRebes. moavarayes wm. giorgis eklesiis jvari, wm. nikolozis eklesiaSi gaakeTes moajiri, did taZarSi gadaRebes kankelis karebi, SeRebes jvrebi wm. nikolozis eklesiis da samreklos gumbaTebze, wm. nikolozis eklesiaSi gaakeTes fanjara. SekeTebis samuSaoebi xarisxianad Catarda _ „ganzraxuls muSaobazed komitetma dasdva yoveli SesaZlebeli mecadineoba da asrulebdnen zemoxsenebulni pirni TavianTsa movaleobasa mindobisamebr simarjviT da erTgulebiT“.

Catarebuli samuSaoebis masStaburobaze warmodgenas gviqmnis „sia masalaTa moxmarebulTa gardaWedsa zeda gaenaTis monastrisasa. wmidis giorgis da wmidis nikolozis eklesiebTa samrekloTurT“. am masalis didi nawili ruseTidan moutaniaT „quTaisel moqalaqe“ _ „stefane akofovs da mis „veqils“ iakob nikolaZes (niko nikolaZis mamas - m.k.). rogorc aRvniSneT, TunuqiT gadaxurvis samuSaoebi ivane krasovma Seasrula, Tunuqis gadaWedisTvis saWiro xis samuSaoebi ki qvisa da xis „xuroebma“, kursebelma _ berekaSvilebma, beroZeebma, uklebebma, qaSibaZeebma da abesaZeebma.

1846 wels, rogorc davinaxeT, ZiriTadad taZrebi da samreklo SekeTda (Tanac mxolod gadaxurviT), sxva nagebobebi ki isev Zvel mdgomareobaSi darCnen, amitom werda 1847 wlis 19 martis patakSi gelaTis monastris winamZRvari arqimandriti simoni imereTis eparqiis mmarTvels mitropolit daviTs, „rogorc aqamomde izruneT didebulis gaenaTis monastris saimedo arsebaSi moyvanisaTvis gardaxurviTa awca izruneT da daamateT Rvawli Rvawlsa zeda. ara ucnobel ars Tqvenis maRal yovlad usamRvdeloebisa mier, romel adridganve qebulni da saxsovarni didi palata, TviT daviT aRmaSeneblis saflavi macxovris karad wodebuli da galavnis didi kari miwevnil arian daqcevisadmi gardauxuravobiTa, ara keTil inebebsa Tqveni maRal yovlad usamRvdeloesoba pativsadebadve gaenaTis monastrisa eseca hyoT, radgan Rirs saxsovarni niSanni arian Senobani dadebulisa maT Sina darubandis karisa, romelTa sanaxavad mravalni ucxo kacni modian da miT monasteri TiTqmis pativcemul da qebul aris“. sinodis kantoram saWiro fulis gamoyofaze uari ganacxada...

Tumca, uwmindesi sinodis saqarTvelo-imereTis kantoram, 1848 wlis seqtemberSi, neba darTo monastris mmarTvelobas daviT aRmaSeneblis saflavis, galavnis mTavari Sesasvlelis da sawinamZRvro saxlis SekeTebaze, risTvisac unda daxarjuliyo 200 maneTi, samuSaoebi 1849 wels Sesrulda.

1846-1849 wlebSi gelaTis monasterSi Catarebul saremonto samuSaoebze sul 5102 man. da 40 kap. daixarja.

1858 wels gelaTSi didi mTavris nikolozis, 1861 wels ki imperator aleqsandre II-is CamosvlasTan dakavSirebiT xelaxla gadaiReba monastris SenobaTa saxuravebi,

orders among Imeretian people. Ripardi was ordered to present a new budget for works of a smaller scale, which he did.

Following an order from the Holy Synod dated 22nd of December 1845, the Georgian-Imeretian office of the Holy Synod started fundamental restoration works at the Gelati Monastery, for which a sum of 7100 rubles and 85 kopecks was allotted. On the 9th of April 1846, a special committee headed by archimandrite Svimon of the Gelati Monastery was created in order to lead and supervise the works to be conducted. It was decided to roof the monastery’s buildings with iron sheets, and that together with the necessary materials, a specialist of the installation of sheet irons – Ivane Krasov, son of Stephane – would be brought to Gelati from the Orlov region; the reason for this was that “No metal sheet installer could be found in the whole Kutaisi Uyezd”.

On the 6th of September 1846, together with two workers he had brought along, Krasov started to roof the Church of the Virgin Mary, which he finished on the 10th of November. They painted the facade of the church in the same month. In February of 1847, the works were mainly finished: the Church of St. George, the Church of St. Nicholas, and the bell-tower were roofed. Very soon, they painted the roofs in green. They gilded the cross of the Church of St. George, made a railing in the Church of St. Nicholas, they repainted the doors of the iconostasis in the Church of the Virgin Mary, painted the crosses in the domes of the Church of St. Nicholas and that of the bell-tower, and created a window in the Church of St. Nicholas. The rehabilitation works were carried out in a professional manner – “The committee thoroughly studied the case, and the abovementioned people have conducted their tasks with the relevant expertise and loyalty”.

The scale of the works carried out during that period can be appreciated in the “List of the materials used for the roofing of the Gelati Monastery. Churches of Saint George and Saint Nicholas, as well as its bell tower.” A large part of these materials were brought from Russia by “Kutaisi citizen” Stefane Akofov and his “advocate” Iakob Nikoladze (Niko Nikoladze’s father – M.K.). As we have mentioned, the roofing with iron sheets was done by Ivane Krasov, as for the stone and wood works needed to sustain the roof, they were carried out by the following families from the Kursebi village – Berekashvili, Berodze, Ukleba, Kashibadze, and Abesadze.

As we have seen, the churches and the bell-tower were the main buildings that were rehabilitated in 1846 (and only in terms of their roofs), while other buildings remained in their deplorable condition, which is why in a report dated 19th of March 1847, archimandrite Svimoni, the head of the Gelati Monastery, wrote to metropolitan Davit, head of the Imereti eparchy: “Just like you looked after restoring the great Gelati Monastery to a dignified existence by roofing it earlier, please look after it now too, and add one good deed to another.

As you know, the Great Chamber, praised since old times, Davit Aghmashenebeli’s grave, the “door of Jesus Christ” and the large gate of the fence are close to falling apart because they have no roof, please be so kind as to support the monastery and carry out this great deed, as there are artefacts in these buildings, which many foreign people come

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SekeTda daviT aRmaSeneblis saflavze Casasvleli kibe da, sadac SesaZlebeli iyo, fanjrebSi Casves minebi. ostatebi iyvnen xariton xuciberiZe da rostoma CxikvaZe. 1860 wels RmrTismSoblis Sobis taZarSi daigo qvis axali iataki. 1863-1864 wlebSi ki masSi gaakeTes qvis axali kankeli (arsebuli kankeli XIX s-is dasawyisSi iyo gakeTebuli, magram ugemovnod - m.k.), romlis proeqtis avtori quTaisis guberniis arqiteqtori vasilievi iyo. kankelis qvis samuSaoebi berekaSvilebma Seasrules, xis - xariton xuciberiZem, xatebi mxatvarma anfimovma dawera. axali kankelic ver Seerwya taZris interiers da mogvianebiT isic aiRes. kankelis gakeTebis xarjebis didi nawili, anderZis Tanaxmad, guriis yofilma episkoposma ioanem gaiRo.

to visit, and through this, the monastery is popular and renowned.”

The synod refused to allocate the necessary funds… But in September 1848, the Georgian-Imeretian office of the Holy Synod gave the Gelati Monastery the green light to restore David the Builder’s grave, the main entrance of the fence, and the Monastery’s overseeing building, for which 200 rubles were allotted – the works were finished in 1849.

In total, 5102 rubles and 40 kopecks were spent on the rehabilitation works of the Gelati Monastery in the years 1846-1849.

On the occasion of the visit of Grand Prince Nicholas in 1858, then that of Emperor Alexander II in 1861, the roofs of the monastery’s buildings were repainted, the stairs leading to the grave of Davit Aghmashenebeli were repaired, and, where possible, glass was put in windows. The masters behind these works were Khariton Khutsiberidze and Rostoma Chkhikvadze.

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In 1860, a new floor was installed in the Church of the Virgin Mary. In the years 1863-1864, they installed a new iconostasis in the church (the former one was made in the beginning of the 19th century, but was clearly lacking taste – M.K.), the project’s author of which was the architect of the Kutaisi Governorate, Vasiliev. The stone parts of the iconostasis were done by the Berekashvili family, and the wooden parts – by Khariton Khutsiberidze.

The icons were done by painter Anfimov. The new iconostasis couldn’t fit in harmony with the interior of the church either, and it would later be removed too. A large part of the iconostasis expenses was covered by Ioane, former bishop of Guria, as it was written in his will.

In the years 1872-1873, they repaired the water supply system of the Gelati Monastery.

Apart from restoring existing buildings, they would also sometimes build new ones. For instance, in the years 1875-1879, they built a new house for the head of the monastery, as well as a large traditional western Georgian house, which is still standing. The old stone house of the head of the monastery stood between the two new buildings, and the three of them became a unified structure. The masters behind the works were Levan and Mose Berekashvili, and in 1893-1894, they built the house of Gabriel (Kikodze), the head of the Imereti eparchy, with his own finances; the latter was built in the yard of the Gelati Monastery by Isidore Berekashvili, according to a project by architect Vertsinsky. In 1895, a new stone fence was erected around this house, on a length of 120 meters, and with an iron gate.

1872-1873 wlebSi gelaTis monasterSi SeakeTes wyalsadeni.

Zveli Senobebis SekeTebis garda, monasterSi zogjer axal Senobebsac agebdnen, magaliTad 1875-1879 wlebSi aq aages monastris winamZRvris axali saxli da sastumro didi oda, romelic axlac dgas. or axalagebul Senobebs Soris mdebare winamZRvris Zveli qvis saxli erTian Senobad iqca. ostatebi iyvnen: levan da mose berekaSvilebi, 1893-1894 wlebSi ki gelaTis monastris ezoSi arqiteqtor vercinskis proeqtiT aages imereTis eparqiis mmarTvelis gabrielis (qiqoZe) saxli misive saxsrebiT, romelic ostatma isidore berekaSvilma aago.

1895 wels am saxlis irgvliv gakeTda qvis axali galavani 60 saJen sigrZeze rkinisave WiSkriT. 1880-1881 wlebSi kvlav gadaRebes gelaTis monastris SenobaTa saxuravebi, Catarda mcireodeni remontic, razedac sul daixarja 2600 maneTi. XIX s-is 90-ian wlebSi gadawyda daviT aRmaSeneblis saflavis ganaxleba. amasTan dakavSirebiT 1896 wels

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daviT aRmaSeneblis saflavze dasadgmeli saflavis qva, Tavisi kvarcxlbekiT, gaakeTes ostatebma andria da isidore berekaSvilebma. kvarcxlbekze unda gakeTebuliyo daviT aRmaSeneblis brinjaos xati da warwera. yvelaferi es keTdeboda Semowiruli TanxebiT, magram ar dasrulebula.

1896-1899 wlebSi mraval adgilas SeakeTes da aRadgines monastris galavani, faqtobrivad es iyo gelaTis monasterSi XIX saukuneSi Catarebuli bolo saremonto samuSao. aseTia qronikalurad gadmocemuli gelaTis monastris movla-patronobis istoria XIX saukuneSi. Catarebulma samuSaoebma, miuxedavad dagvianebiT Sesrulebisa, garkveuli roli iTamaSa monastris nagebobaTa sicocxlis gaxangrZlivebaSi. Sesrulebul samuSaoTagan yvelaze kargad da myarad gakeTebuli saxuravi aRmoCnda, romelic monastris eklesiebs da samreklos 1975 wlamde emsaxureboda.

In the years 1880-1881, they once again repainted the roofs of the Gelati Monastery’s buildings and carried out small renovation works, for a total of 2600 rubles.

In the 1890s, it was decided to renovate Davit Aghmashenebeli’s grave, and in 1896, masters Andria and Isidore Berekashvili have prepared and installed the stone to be put on Davit Aghmashenebeli’s grave, together with its pedestal. A bronze icon of Davit Aghmashenebeli and an inscription had to be done on the pedestal. All this was being done thanks to donations, but it couldn’t be finished.

In the years 1896-1899, they repaired and restored the monastery’s fence in various spots, and these were practically the last rehabilitation works held at the Gelati Monastery in the 19th century.

Such were the chronicles of the Gelati Monastery’s restoration and renovation works in the 19th century. Even though they were done late, these works have played their part in increasing the life of the monastery’s buildings. From all the works, the parts that were done in the most professional and enduring way were the roofs, which covered the monastery’s churches and bell-towers until 1975.

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dimitri xvTisiaSvili

artistis gardacvaleba!!!

THE DEPARTURE OF AN ARTIST! Dimitri Khvtisiashvili

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`Cemi mizania, rac SeiZleba meti sixaruli da bedniereba movutano xalxs. Cemi profesia amis saSualebas maZlevs. me artisti var. maradJams Tqveni kaxi kavsaZe.~ _ ase sruldeba wigni kaxi kavsaZis pirad Tu SemoqmedebiT cxovrebaze, romelic zustad 10 wlis win gamoveciT Cemma meuRlem da me. Segnebulad ar davwere sityva _ moRvaweoba!!! kategoriuli uari miTxra Tavad man _ me ar vmoRvaweob, me vmuSaob, veZeb, vibrZvi SemoqmedebiTi srulyofisTvis... vici, rom amas ver movaxerxeb, Tumca cdas ar davaklebo... arc dauklia cda!!! umZimesi cxovreba gaiara, Tumca Zalian saintereso... udidesi pativismcemeli iyo sakuTari winaprebis SemoqmedebiTi danatovaris. mTeli cxovreba cdilobda ise eSroma, rom vinmes ar eTqva sandro kavsaZis SviliSvili, anda daTaSkas biWi rogori uqnaraa, anda uniWoo. deda rom gamorCeulad uyvarda, eg arc ukvirda.

Tavisi wili cxovreba mxolod me da Cems Zmas Semogvwirao. ojaxis wevrebis Semdeg, gamorCeuli madlierebiT igonebda sam adamians. sul dasawyisSi, misaReb gamocdebze, komisiis TiTqmis srulma Semadgenlobam, TiTqos piri Sekreso, uari Tqves mis miRebaze. orad-orma wevrma gaaprotesta es ambavi _ kote maxaraZem, romelsac swored

“My goal is to provide people with as much joy and happiness as possible. My profession gives me that opportunity. I am an artist.

Forever yours, Kakhi Kavsadze.” These are the final words of the book about Kakhi Kavsadze’s private and professional life, which myself and my wife published exactly ten years ago. He told me: “This is my profession, I work, I seek, I struggle to attain artistic ideals... I know that I will not be able to do so, but I won’t refrain from trying...” And indeed, he didn’t refrain!

He lived a very difficult life, albeit a very interesting one too...

He was utterly respectful of the artistic heritage left by his ancestors. His whole life, he tried to work in a way that wouldn’t make people say “This is Sandro Kavsadze’s grandson” or “What an idler Datashka’s boy is”. Unsurprisingly, he was particularly fond of his mother. He used to say that she sacrificed her whole life for himself and his brother.

After his family members, there were three people of whom he talked with special warmth. In the beginning, at the entrance exams, the members of the commission seemed to have agreed on their decision in advance, and almost unanimously declined his entry.

Only two of them voiced their protest about this decision – Kote Makharadze, who would become the elocution pedagogue of the entrants, and Lili Ioseliani, who was named a jury member by the

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is jgufi ahyavda, rogorc metyvelebis pedagogs da lili ioselianma, romelic komisiis rigiT wevrad iyo daniSnuli msaxiobis ostatobis kaTedridan. situacia praqtikulad Seuqcevadi sCanda, Tumca am ori wevris daJinebam komisiis Tavmjdomares, kaxis karis mezobels _ did akaki xoravas frTebi gauxsna abiturienti kavsaZis mxardasaWerad... ase aRmoCnda kaxi kavsaZe institutSi da swored amitomac emadliereboda mTeli cxovreba qalbaton lilisa da baton kotes... mesame adamiani ki upirobod batoni robert sturua gaxlavT. baton robertTan interviu erT-erTi uZvirfasesi monapovaria zemoTxsenebuli wignisa: `momwonda is, rogorc msaxiobi, Tumca maSin reJisorebis umravlesoba mas, uyurebda rogorc `Skafs~... arada, me masSi davinaxe msaxiobi, romelic wamomyveboda, damijerebda, rogorc reJisors...

Cveni pirveli erToblivi warmateba `mzian RamesTan~ iyo dakavSirebuli. swored am speqtaklidan daiwyo kaxis popularoba... mere `Calis qudi~ sofiko WiaurelTan erTad... `xanumaSi~ mxolod prologSi iyo - leonkavalos `jambazebidan~ italiur enaze arias mReroda da JanrSi

acting department in which she worked. The situation seemed hopeless, but thanks to the insistence the two teachers shown towards the great Akaki Khorava, who happened to be both the head of the commission and Kakhi’s next-door neighbor, the latter also expressed his support for Kavsadze... This is how the actor entered the institute, and this is why he was forever thankful to Mrs. Lili and Mr. Kote.

The third person is Mr. Robert Sturua. The interview with Mr. Robert is one of the most precious parts in the abovementioned book: “I liked him as an actor, but at the time, most directors looked at him as a strapping man... I saw the actor in him, the one that would follow me and trust me as a director...

Our first joint success was linked to ‘Sunny Night’. This is the play that made Kakhi popular... Then, there was ‘Strawhat’, with Sopiko Chiaureli... In ‘Khanuma’, he only took part in the prologue – he sang arias in Italian from Leoncavallo’s ‘Pagliacci’, and brought the spectators in the genre. He was practically the play’s tuning fork...

Then there was ‘The Accusation’... As for ‘Betrayal’, he was simply unique in this play...

Kakhi Kavsadze was the first actor who joined me in the experiment that theater specialists usually call the ‘Brecht Experiment’. For

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Sehyavda mayurebeli. praqtikulad speqtaklis kamertoni iyo... mere iyo `sabraldebo~... rac Seexeba `Ralats~ _ iq kaxi ubralod unikaluri iyo... kaxi kavsaZe iyo is pirveli msaxiobi, romelic wamomyva im eqsperimentze, romelic Teatrmcodneebma brextiseulad `monaTles~. magaliTad `yvaryvareSi~ ramazi ufro kaxis TamaSidan gamomdinare mixvda, ra unda eTamaSa da ara Cemi axsna-ganmartebebidan. Semdeg... kaxis yvaryvare aRar uTamaSia... Tumca, rogorc uaRresad patiosanma kacma, rainduli keTilSobilebiT gauZlo am gansacdels. arada, am rolis arTamaSi vfiqrob Secdoma iyo...

Semdeg ukve `kavkasiuri~, `variaciebi~, `iliko da ilarioni~, `riCardi~, `as ergasi~, `mefe liri~, `iasamani~... yvelaze mtkivneuli isaa, cxovrebis bolos, roca acnobiereb dauxarjavi SesaZleblobebis simravles. arada, ukanac xom ver dabrundebi?~ dauxarjavi SesaZleblobebis simravle!!! _ ra saocari formulirebaa da Tanac rogor Seesabameba im artistis SemoqmedebiT cxovrebas, romelmac samudamod dagvtova. `...erTma didma reJisorma miTxra, Sen SemTxveviT xar moxvedrili TeatrSio _ da me cxovrebis miznad davisaxe im reJisors CemTvis artisti ewodebina da hoi, saocrebav... movdivar manqaniT... im ambidan bevri wlis Semdeg da es reJisori ager quCaSi ar moseirnobs?!. gavuCere manqana. Cavisvi... movikiTxeT erTmaneTi...

SekiTxvas SekiTxva mohyva da uceb vkiTxe _ TeatrSi rogor midis saqmeebi meTqi... iciT, ra mipasuxa? kaxi erTi-ori Sennairi artisti rom myavdes, ukeT iqneboda Cemi saqmeo. iseTi muxruWi davartyi, kinaRam orTave manqanidan gadavcvivdiT... amas Tqven Cemze ambobT meTqi? ratom gaikvirveo? rogor, Tqven ar meubnebodiT, rom TeatrSi SemTxveviT xar moxvedrilio? sastikad iuara _ msgavss rogor vityodio. es reJisori didi mixeil TumaniSvili gaxldaT da me madlieri var misi, rom momca cxovrebis mizani mimeRwia imisTvis, rom mas CemTvis artisti ewodebina...~ gamoCenilma Teatrmcodnem naTela uruSaZem brZana: `kaxi kavsaZem, romelsac ar uTamaSia scenaze gamorCeuli rolebi, vTqvaT otelo, mefe liri, riCardi Tu sxva, mainc bolomde SeinarCuna is, rac iwama sakuTar profesiaSi... da iciT _ ra iwama? adamianis sulieri samyaros warmoCenaze zrunavda da zrunavs mudam... da Tanac, nebismieri adamianis sulieri samyaros warmoCenaze zrunavda, nebismieri mimarTulebis speqtaklSi. me vfiqrob, swored amitomac aris kaxi kavsaZe WeSmaritad saxalxo artisti.~ misi damokidebuleba mayurebelTan sruliad gansakuTrebuli iyo. erTxel genadi xazanovTan erTad viTamaSe speqtaklio da rodesac gareT gamovediT, dagvexvivnen Tayvanismcemlebi da avtografebs gvTxovdneno, genadim iukadrisa da `aTesva~ daapirao, kinaRam gavgiJdio... `movkide xeli da pirdapir mivaxale

instance, in ‘Kvarkvare’, Ramaz understood how he had to act not through my explanations, but through Kakha’s acting... After that, Kakhi didn’t play ‘Kvarkvare’ anymore... But as an exceptionally honorable person, he endured this with knightly dignity. I personally think that it was a mistake not to play this role...

Then there was ‘The Caucasian Chalk Circle’, ‘Variations’, ‘Me, Grandmother, Iliko and Ilarion’, ‘Richard III’, ‘King Lear’, ‘Lilac’... The most painful thing is when you acknowledge the multitude of possibilities you haven’t explored. You cannot go back in time, can you?”

“The multitude of possibilities you haven’t explored!” – What a wonderful choice of words, and how well it fits the creative life of the artist that has forever left us. “...A great director once told me that I had come to the world of theater by chance – and I made it my life goal to make this director call me an artist someday. Many years later, while I was driving my car, I saw this director strolling on the sidewalk. I stopped the car and got him in. We chatted for a while, asked and answered each other questions... Then I suddenly asked him – “How are things at the theater?”. And you know what he answered? “Kakhi, if I had one or two artists like you, it would be much better.” I pushed the brake so hard that we almost both hit our heads on the windshield... “You are talking about me, right?” – I asked. “Why are you surprised?”. “Weren’t you the one saying that I got into the world of theater by chance?” He vehemently denied – “How could I have said that!”. This director was the great Mikheil Tumanishvili, and I am thankful to him for providing me the life goal of making him call me an artist...”

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Distinguished theater critic Natela Urushadze once said: “Kakhi Kavsadze, who didn’t play prominent roles such as Othello, King Lear, or Richard, still managed to preserve what he thought was the essence of his profession... And you know what this was? He tended and still tends to the manifestation of the spiritual aspect of humans... And this is true of the spiritual aspect of any character, in any play. I think that this is precisely the reason why Kakhi Kavsadze is a real people’s artist.”

His approach to spectators was very special. He once recounted how he acted in a play alongside Gennady Khazanov, and how, when they were leaving the building, admirers surrounded them, asking for autographs. “Gennady avoided them and was planning to flee, it made me crazy... I held his arm, and told him directly – If you are Gennady Khazanov, it is thanks to these people... So now, stand here and give them their autographs, regardless of how long it takes.”

His last performances were in ‘The Little Prince’, at the State Youth Theater. The young spectators will never forget that they had the opportunity to watch an artist of his magnitude. And Kakhi was standing tirelessly in the foyer of the theater after the play, signing autographs, taking pictures, and lengthening the celebration that it was for the spectators to interact with him.

Wasn’t Kakhi a celebration in himself?!

He also had a very special approach to death. A great lover of life, he struggled to apprehend the mystery of death, he would not, he could not get used to it, though he had to, as he lived the 29 last years of his life without his honorable wife Bela Mirianashvili. I personally witnessed how he lamented Sopiko Chiaureli... Malkhaz Gorgiladze... his childhood friend Givi Gadelia, Otar Meghvinetukhutsesi, Mamuka Kikaleishvili... And many _ Sen rom genadi xazanovi xar am xalxis damsaxurebaa... hoda, keTili inebe da ramdeni droc dagWirdeba, ai aq dadeqi da avtografebi gaeci meTqi.~ misTvis ukanaskneli aRmoCnda mozard mayurebelTa Teatris scenaze `patara ufliswulSi~ monawileoba. im patara mayurebels arasodes daaviwydeba kaxi kavsaZis masStabis artists, cocxals rom moeswro. kaxic dauzareblad saaTobiT idga speqtaklis Semdeg foieSi, gascemda avtografebs, iRebda suraTebs da misiT aRfrTovanebul publikas dResaswauls uxangrZlivebda.

Tavadac xom aseTi iyo _ dResaswauli kaci!!! sruliad gansakuTrebuli damokidebuleba hqonda sikvdilTan. sicocxlis did trfials gardacvalebis saidumlos amoxsna uWirda, arc da verc egueboda. da gana Segueba iyo misi bolo 29 wliani sicocxle bela mirianaSvilis, misi saTayvanebeli meuRlis gareSe? piradad var Semswre rogor daitira sofiko Wiaureli... malxaz gorgilaZe... misi bavSvobis megobari givi gadelia, oTar meRvineTuxucesi, mamuka kikaleiSvili... romeli erTi CamovTvalo... raRa Sors wavide _ Cemi sidedr-simamri, misi yrmobis megobrebi iyvnen _ qaliviT moTqvamda maT panaSvidebze... da uceb givi berikaSvilis gardacvalebam gaaqvava... ramxela tragizmi

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devs im fotoSi kuboSi Casvenebul baton givis rom dascqeris, uSualod misi dakrZalvis win... erTi cremli ar gadmougdia. iqve Sori-axlos videqi, vuyurebdi am kadrs... Semdeg Tavi nela aswia... SemTxveviT misi mzeris arealSi movxvdi. Cemsken wamovida da TiTqmis CurCuliT miTxra: mokvda? ratom mokvda? es kiTxva xSirad mesmoda... ukanaskneli oTxi wlis manZilze... erTxelac miTxra _ berikas Semdeg yvelaferi ganacrisferdao... bolo ganSoreba nina mirianaSvili iyo, misi saTayvanebeli belas da... da ramdens me ar Sevswrebivar... mokvda? axla me vsvam am Sinaarsgamoclil kiTxvas... ara batonebo! artisti mxolod gardaicvala! mis xelovnebas, mis jiSs, niWs, energetikas sikvdili ar uweria!

P.S. berikasaviT vnebis kviraSi wavida...

P.S.S. hoi saocrebav! misi gardacvalebidan 40 dRe Sesrulda 5 ivniss _ mis dabadebis dRes... pirvel dabadebis dRes kaxis gareSe!!!

others... I don’t have to go far – my in-laws were his friends in their youth – he was weeping like a woman during their funerals... And suddenly, Givi Berikashvili’s death petrified him... How tragic is the photograph in which he looks over Mr. Givi lying in his coffin, right before being buried...

He didn’t shed a tear. I was standing nearby, and I saw this scene... Then he slowly raised his head... I happened to be in his field of view, and he saw me. He walked towards me, and told me, almost whispering: “Did he die? Why did he die?” I remembered these words many times in the last four years... On another occasion, he told me: “After Berika, everything has become grey...” The last person to whom he bid farewell was Nina Mirianashvili, his wife Bela’s sister...

Did he die? Today, I am the one asking this meaningless question...

No, people! The artist only departed! [in Georgian, “gardatsvaleba”, one of the words for “to pass” etymologically means “to transform”] His art, his talent, his energy are not ones to die!

P.S. Just like Berikashvili, he left us during the Holy Week...

P.S.S. A miracle! The 40th day after his passing happened to be the 5th of June – his birthday... the first birthday without Kakhi!

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ozurgeTis Teatri - guSin, dRes, xval... laSa CxartiSvili

THE OZURGETI THEATER – YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW… Lasha Chkhartishvili

ozurgeTis Teatri pirveli da dRemde erTaderTi profesiuli Teatria guriaSi, romelsac qarTuli profesiuli Teatrisa da kinos pioneris, profesional qarTvel reJisorTa pirveli Taobis warmomadgenlis aleqsandre wuwunavas (1881-1955) saxeli, sakmaod gvian, 1968 wels mieniWa. ozurgeTSi saTeatro cxovreba saTaves XIX saukunis dasawyisidan iRebs da warmodgenebis gamarTva guriis samTavros ukanaskneli mTavris, mamia gurielis saxelTan aris dakavSirebuli. guriis mTavarma sakuTar sasaxleSi evropuli tipis saloni moawyo, sadac poeziasTan erTad, dramaturgiasac (dramatul poezias) kiTxulobdnen da xSirad piesebidan epizodebis dadgmasac axerxebdnen. wera-kiTxva imxanad mxolod Tavaz-aznaurobam icoda, Sesabamisad, pirveli msaxiobebi guriaSi didgvarovnebi iyvnen. guriis profesiuli Teatris fesvebi swored saojaxo tipis Teatridan (romelic farTod iyo

The Ozurgeti Theater is the first and, to this day, the only professional theater operating in Guria. In 1968, it was named after Alexander Tsutsunava, a pioneer of Georgian professional theater and cinema, and a representative of the first generation of professional Georgian film directors.

In Ozurgeti, theatrical life dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. Performances are associated with the last head of the Guria Principality, Mamia Gurieli. This leader of Guria created a Europeanstyle atmosphere in his palace where, in addition to poetry, he also read dramaturgy (dramatic poetry) and often managed to stage excerpts from plays. At that time, only the aristocracy was literate, and therefore, the first actors in Guria were all aristocrats. The roots of Guria’s professional theater originate from a family-type theater (which was widespread in Georgia and Europe in the first half of the 19th century).

Established under the leadership of Ilia Chavchavadze, the Society for Spreading Literacy among Georgians contributed greatly to the

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gavrcelebuli XIX saukunis I naxevris saqarTvelosa da evropaSi) iRebs saTaves... ilia WavWavaZis TaosnobiT daarsebulma „werakiTxvis gamavrcelebelma sazogadoebam“ didi wvlili Seitana qarTvelTa ganaTlebis xelmisawvdomobis saqmeSi, ramac xeli Seuwyo regionebSi scenismoyvareTa wreebis Camoyalibebasa da ganviTarebas. XIX saukunis bolos, Teatris moyvarulebi ozurgeTSi warmodgenebs marTavdnen kerZo saxlebSi, biblioTeka-samkiTxveloebSi, skolisa da sazogado sakrebulos darbazebSi, xolo warmodgenebis gamarTvisas bileTebidan Semosul Tanxas iyenebdnen qvelmoqmedebisaTvis skolebis, samkiTxveloebis gafarToebisa da axalgazrdebis ganaTlebis sasargeblod. ozurgeTis scenismoyvareTa wreSi Camoyalibdnen SemdgomSi qarTuli Teatris cnobili moRvaweebi, reJisorebi da msaxiobebi: evelina da cecilia wuwunavebi, aleqsandre JorJoliani, vaso uruSaZe, aleqsandre wuwunava, atato beburiSvili da sxvebi. ozurgeTis Teatris istoriis aTvlis TariRad mkvlevarTa mier 1868 weli miiCneva, roca scenismoyvareTa SewevniT pirveli warmodgena gaimarTa farTo

access Georgians had to education, which assisted the formation and development of a love for the stage outside of the capital. Towards the end of the 19th century, Ozurgetian spectators of the theater staged performances in homes, libraries, schools, public council halls, and donated the proceeds from tickets to schools, designated to expand reading rooms and promote the education of young people. Famous figures of Georgian theater, directors, and actors arose among the circle of Ozurgeti stage lovers: Evelina and Tsetsilia Tsutsunava, Alexander Zhorzholiani, Vaso Urushadze, Alexander Tsutsunava, Atato Beburishvili, and others.

Scholars consider 1868 to be the year The Ozurgeti Theater’s history began, as it is the time when stage-lovers played their first performance for the general public. This performance is confirmed by an article published in the newspaper ‘Droeba’ (N 10; 1868): “A Georgian performance took place in Ozurgeti to teach the local school. Unfortunately, no details of this performance are available.”

The repertoire of the 19th century Ozurgeti Theater did not differ from that of other Georgian theaters. According to a brief article published in the press, it was revealed that the plays were, among others, G. Eristavi’s ‘The Family Settlement’, ‘Stingy’, ‘Uchinmachini’s Hat’, Ilia Chavchavadze’s ‘Mother and Child’, A. Tsagarli’s ‘Khanuma’, ‘The Clever

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sazogadoebisTvis. warmodgenis gamarTvis faqts adasturebs gazeT „droebaSi“ (N10; 1868 w.) gamoqveynebuli cnoba: „ozurgeTSi qarTuli warmodgena momxdara iqauri Skolis Sesawevnelad. samwuxarod, am warmodgenaze aqamdis dawvrilebiT ara viciT ra.“ XIX saukunis „ozurgeTis Teatris“ repertuari ar gamoirCeoda sxva qarTuli Teatrebis repertuarisagan. im periodis presaSi gabneuli mokle cnobebiT irkveva, rom ozurgeTis Teatris scenaze saqvelmoqmedo mizniT daudgamT g. erisTavis „gayra“, „Zunwi“, „uCinmaCinis qudi“, ilia WavWavaZis „deda da Svili“, a. cagarlis „xanuma“, „Wkuisa mWirs“, „baiyuSi“, „cimbirelni“, a. wereTlis „butiaoba“, r. erisTavis „jer daixocnen, mere iqorwines“, v. gunias „da-Zma“...

TbilisSi „mudmivi scenis“ Camoyalibebis (1879 w.) Semdeg saTeatro cxovreba ozurgeTSi sagrZnoblad gaaqtiurda. garkveuli periodi warmodgenebi imarTeboda episkopos gabriel qiqoZis saxlSi. pirveli warmodgena gamarTula 1888 wlis seqtemberSi. ivane nakaSiZesa da dimitri guriels simon gugunavas „Tamariani“ daudgamT. mTavar rols kneina maka nakaSiZe asrulebda, amave wels warmoudgeniaT mevelis (fsevdonimi) - gazeT „iveriis“ TanamSromel-publicistis d. miqelaZis sammoqmedebiani komedia „kalandoba“.

Misery’, ‘Baikushi’, ‘Siberians’, A. Tsereteli ‘Butiaoba’, R. Eristavi ‘First they died, then they got married’, V. Gunia’s ‘Brother and sister’...

After the establishment of the “permanent stage” in Tbilisi in 1879, theatrical life in Ozurgeti became significantly more active. For some time, performances were held at the house of Bishop Gabriel Kikodze. The first performance took place in September of 1888. Ivane Nakashidze and Dimitri Gurieli staged Simon Gugunava’s ‘Tamariani’.

The lead role was played by princess Maka Nakashidze. That same year, Mikeladze’s three-act comedy ‘Kalandoba’ was presented in Meveli’s (pseudonym) newspaper ‘Iveria’.

In 1895, under the leadership of Alexander Tsutsunava, a circle of stage-lovers was founded in Ozurgeti, which A. Tsutsunava himself, V. Urushadze, S. Khurtsidze, I. Urushadze, and N. Lomjaria all joined.

They held performances both in Ozurgeti and in nearby villages. This process paved the way for the formation of a permanent professional theater in Ozurgeti.

On June 1st, 1914, a new theater building opened in Ozurgeti. This important event is linked to Germane Gogitidze, one of the founders of Georgian cinematography. He constructed a building for the theater, using money he had borrowed. This meaningful initiative of his was supported by influential people living and working in Ozurgeti at that time: Nestor Abashidze and Stanislav (Slava)

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1895 wels aleqsandre wuwunavas xelmZRvanelobiT ozurgeTSi daarsda scenismoyvareTa wre, romelSic gawevriandnen Tavad al. wuwunava, v. uruSaZe, s. xurciZe, i. uruSaZe. n. lomjaria... isini warmodgenebs marTavdnen rogorc ozurgeTSi, ise axlomdebare soflebSi. am procesma moamzada safuZveli ozurgeTSi mudmivmoqmedi profesiuli Teatris daarsebis.

1914 wlis 1 ivniss ozurgeTSi gaixsna Teatris axali Senoba. es mniSvnelovani movlena germane gogitiZis, qarTuli kinematografiis erT-erTi fuZemdeblis saxelTanaa dakavSirebuli. man nasesxebi fuliT moawyo Senoba TeatrisaTvis. am mniSvnelovan iniciativaSi mas gverdSi amoudgnen imxanad ozurgeTSi mcxovrebi da moRvawe gavleniani pirebi: nestor abaSiZe da stanislav (slava) kalatoziSvili. darbazi 300 mayurebels itevda, mowyobili iyo eleqtroganaTeba, risTvisac g. gogitiZem Teatris gverdiT patara eleqtrosadguri gamarTa. es iyo pirveli eleqtro ganaTeba ozurgeTSi. ozurgeTis TeatrisTvis axali saTeatro Senobis mSenebloba, romelSic amJamad moRvaweobs Teatri, 1934 wels daiwyo da 1961 wels dasrulda. ozurgeTis Teatris

Kalatozishvili. The hall could accommodate 300 people. Electric lighting was needed, for which G. Gogitidze ran a small power plant next to the theater. This was the first electric lighting in Ozurgeti. The construction of the new building for the Ozurgeti Theater in which the theater is currently located lasted from 1934 to1961. Directors Guram Abesadze and Ilia Matskhonashvili played important roles in the development of the “creative life” of the Ozurgeti Theater. After 1975 came an important era in the history of the theater, connected to the young, energetic, and talented director Vaso Chigogidze (disciple of Dimitri Aleksidze), whose debut at the Ozurgeti Theater was inspired by a play based on Vasil Shukshin’s satirical story ‘Energetic People’. His performance ‘I See the Sun’, based on the book written by Nodar Dumbadze, was greatly appreciated by the professional community.

In April of 1987, the theater staff left for the Baikal-Amur Highway (the BAM) to meet with Georgian workers in Ikabia. Nodar Dumbadze’s ‘Hello, People!’ (based on ‘Me, Grandma, Iliko and Ilarion’, staged by Kote Ninikashvili) was put on specifically for this project.

This fact is quite significant for the history of the Ozurgeti Theater, especially sinc it was the only Georgian theater to hold performances on the BAM. It is important to note that the theater selected works

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SemoqmedebiTi cxovrebis ganviTarebaSi mniSvnelovani roli Seasrules reJisorebma guram abesaZem da ilia macxonaSvilma. 1975 wlidan ki Teatris istoriaSi mniSvnelovani periodi iwyeba, romelic dakavSirebulia axalgazrda, energiuli, niWieri reJisoris vaso CigogiZis (dimitri aleqsiZis mowafe) saxelTan, romlis debiuti ozurgeTis TeatrSi vasil SukSinis satiruli moTxrobis „energiuli adamianebi“ mixedviT dadgmuli speqtakliT Sedga. didi gamoxmaureba mohyva profesiul sazogadoebaSi mis speqtakls „me vxedav mzes“ nodar dumbaZis amave saxelwodebis moTxrobis mixedviT. 1987 wlis aprilSi Teatris koleqtivi gaemgzavra baikal-amuris magistralze daba ikabiis qarTvel mSromelebTan Sesaxvedrad. specialurad am proeqtisTvis daidga nodar dumbaZis „gamarjoba, xalxo!“ („me, bebia, iliko da ilarionis“ mixedviT; inscenireba kote ninikaSvilis). es faqti metad mniSvnelovania ozurgeTis Teatris istoriisTvis da ara mxolod. vinaidan, pirvelad da jerjerobiT ukanasknelad, ozurgeTis Teatri iyo erTaderTi qarTuli Teatri, romelmac speqtaklebi gamarTa bamze. mniSvnelovani iyo, rom Teatrma swored

of modern Georgian writer Nodar Dumbadze that were loved in the Soviet community. The theater still promotes his works. The evidence to this lies not only in the stage interpretations of Nodar Dumbadze’s works, but also in the Nodar Dumbadze International Theater Festival, which was founded in 2016 on Vaso Chigogidze’s initiative.

International tours and the recognition of the Ozurgeti Theater began in 1987, including tours in Moscow and performances at the Art Theater there. The theater staged two of Vaso Chigogidze’s plays: ‘Hello, People!’ (based on Nodar Dumbadze’s stories) and Alexander Ostrovsky’s ‘Innocent Criminals’. The tour in Moscow was followed by tours in Western Germany and Hungary, as well as one of the first international co-productions at the Theater of Soviet Georgia. This was a joint project of the Ozurgeti and Zalaegerszeck (Hungary) Theaters named ‘Birthday’, which was performed in Hungary besides Ozurgeti.

In 2016, by the initiative of the charitable foundation “Cartu”, the renovation of The Ozurgeti Theater began. It lasted for four years. The building of The Ozurgeti Theater is the main attraction of the city.

It is a cultural heritage monument and one of the largest theatrical buildings in Georgia (architects: Vano Kadieshvili, Kote Chkheidze, sculptors Ts. Topuridze, Japaridze, ceiling painting A. Kutateladze).

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Tanamedrove qarTveli mwerlis nodar dumbaZis nawarmoebi SearCia, romelic uyvardaT sabWoTa sivrceSi. nodar dumbaZis Semoqmedebis popularizacias Teatri dRemde uwyobs xels. amis dasturia ara mxolod repertuarSi arsebuli nodar dumbaZis nawarmoebebis scenuri interpretaciebi, aramed mwerlis saxelobis saerTaSoriso Teatraluri festivali, romelic 2016 wels dafuZnda vaso CigogiZis iniciativiT. 1987 wlidan iwyeba ozurgeTis Teatris saerTaSoriso turneebi da aRiareba, maT Soris sagastrolo warmodgenebi moskovSi, samxatvro TeatrSi. Teatrma vaso CigogiZis ori speqtakli „gamarjoba, xalxo!“ (nodar dumbaZis moTxrobebis mixedviT) da aleqsandre ostrovskis „udanaSaulo damnaSaveni“ warmoadgina. moskovis sagastrolo turnes mohyva gastrolebi dasavleT germaniasa da ungreTSi, aseve erT-erTi pirveli saerTaSoriso koproduqciis ganxorcieleba sabWoTa saqarTvelos TeatrSi. es iyo ozurgeTisa da zalaegerscekis (ungreTi) Teatris erToblivi proeqti „dReoba“, romelic ozurgeTis garda ungreTSic iyo naCvenebi.

2016 wels, saqvelmoqmedo fond „qarTus“ gadawyvetilebiT ozurgeTis Teatris Senobas sruli reabilitacia Cautarda, romelic 4 wlis ganmavlobaSi mimdinareobda. ozurgeTis Teatris Senoba qalaqis savizito baraTia, romelic kulturuli memkvidreobis Zeglia da erT-erTi yvelaze masStaburi saTeatro nagebobaa saqarTveloSi (arqiteqtorebi: vano qadieSvili, kote CxeiZe, moqandakeebi c. TofuriZe, jafariZe, Weris mxatvroba a. quTaTelaZe). arqiteqturuli nageboba stilisturad neoklasikuria. Werze mxatvruli panos

The architectural building is stylistically neoclassical. The presence of an artistic panel on the ceiling, which depicts the life of Gurians, conditioned the fact that The Ozurgeti Theater does not have a chandelier in its big hall.

The total volume of the giant, five-story theater building is 7000 square meters; the length is 85 m, the width is 40 m, and the height measures 25 meters. The theater has a large stage designated for 450 spectators (with a parterre, amphitheater, lodges, and two tiers).

The tiers are carved with Georgian-style ornaments. On the fifth floor is a small stage, designed for 80-100 spectators. The building has several more spaces for various performances and events: art gallery (in the attic, with daylight), large rehearsal hall, literary lounge, café (basement) and open terrace, a museum for permanent exhibition, and a radio theater equipped with modern technology to record performances. The facade of the building is capped with white stone and bluish granite, covered with tin.

The rehabilitated, modern European theater building opened on May 14th, 2021, with Vaso Chigogidze’s play ‘Missing – Do not Wake Up’ (based on Nodar Dumbadze’s works, staged by Lela Arabidze).

Four generations of theater actors took part in the play, with the eldest being 93-year-old Gabriel Mdinaradze and the youngest Nika Dzneladze, a student of drama and film acting at the State University of Theater and Film. For its 153rd theatrical season, The Ozurgeti Drama Theater organized seven premieres, prepared by directors of all different ages and worldviews. The renewed Ozurgeti Theater met the audience with an updated troupe. The premiere performances were in full swing, which proves that in today’s post-pandemic world, audiences have missed theater. They have developed interests in new productions, new actors, and new directions previously unknown to the local audience. Vano Khutsishvili’s play ‘3 + 3’ (Manana Doiashvili’s early psychological drama), which awakens the traumas of the 1990s, incited great interest in professional circles and audiences.

After almost 30 years, the director revived the problems raised in the play with different accents. In today’s post-pandemic world, Vano Khutsishvili created characters who, due to the forced isolation created by today’s circumstances, begin to turn family members

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arsebobam, romelzedac gurulTa yofiTi cxovrebis amsaxveli cxovrebaa gamosaxuli, ganapiroba is, rom ozurgeTis Teatrs did darbazSi WaRi ar aqvs. giganturi, xuTsarTuliani saTeatro nagebobis saerTo moculoba 7 000 kvadratuli metria, sigrZe _ 85, sigane _ 40, simaRle -25 metri. Teatrs aqvs didi scena _ 450 mayureblisTvis (parteriT, amfiTeatriT, loJebiTa da ori iarusiT). iarusebi qarTuli stilis ornamentebiTaa moCuqurTmebuli. Teatris mexuTe sarTulze mdebareobs mcire scena, romelic gaTvlilia 80-100 mayurebelze.

Senobas kidev ramdenime sivrce gaaCnia speqtaklebisa da RonisZiebebis gasamarTad: samxatvro galerea (sxvenze, dRis SuqiT), didi sarepeticio darbazi, perspeqtivaSi literaturuli saloni, kafe (sardafi) da Ria terasa, muzeumi mudmivmoqmedi eqspoziciisTvis da radio Teatri - „geyureba“, aRWurvili Tanamedrove aparaturiT radio speqtaklebis Casawerad. Senobis fasadi mopirkeTebulia eklanis TeTri qviTa da molurjo granitiT, gadaxurulia TunuqiT. reabilitirebuli, Tanamedrove evropuli saTeatro nageboba 2021 wlis 14 maiss gaixsna vaso CigogiZis speqtakliT „monatreba-nu gaaRviZeb“ (nodar dumbaZis nawarmoebebis mixedviT, inscenirebis avtori lela arabiZe). speqtaklSi Teatris oTxi Taobis msaxiobebi monawileobdnen. yvelaze uxucesi, 93 wlis gabriel mdinaraZe da debiutanti, jer kidev Teatrisa da kinos saxelmwifo universitetis dramisa da kinos msaxiobis specialobis studenti nika ZnelaZe. 153-

into enemies. The audience and the theatrical community accepted with great interest the lyrical comedy based on the main character of Dimitri Khvtisiashvili’s ‘Tamar Bartaia’. The audience also saw the puppet show ‘Don Quixote’ (director: Elene Matskhonashvili), ‘Naples, the City of Millionaires’ (director: Otar Kutaladze), ‘Vernissage’ (director: Mamuka Babilodze) on both the big and small stages of the theater.

In the renovated theater, where comfortable conditions have been created for actors and the technical staff, the Ozurgeti Theater team is motivated to create a higher quality product, artistically speaking.

The management of the theater (artistic director Vaso Chigogidze, director Zaza Jincharadze) and the troupe are aware of the creative challenges modern theater faces, and try to respond to the requests of the audience with renewed energy and diligence.

Performances by famous Georgian directors Gocha Kapanadze, ‘The Last Queen of Guria: Sophie’, and Nikoloz Sabashvili, ‘Republic of Guria’, will be put on at the Ozurgeti Theater next season. Artistic director Vaso Chigogidze is negotiating with distinguished Georgian director Temur Chkheidze, as well as younger directors who have already found their places on the Georgian theater map. He will stage Rezo Kldiashvili’s ‘Imereti Requiem’ and William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ himself.

The Ozurgeti Theater is becoming attractive not only because of its newly renovated building, but also because of its new repertoire designed for spectators of all interests, ages, and worldviews.

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e saTeatro sezonisTvis ozurgeTis dramatulma Teatrma 7 premiera moamzada, romelic sxvadasxva Taobisa da msoflmxedvelobis reJisorebma moamzades. ganaxlebuli ozurgeTis Teatri ganaxlebuli dasiT Sexvda mayurebels. sapremiero warmodgenebi anSlagebiT gaimarTa, rac mowmobs imas, rom postpandemiur periodSi mayurebels moenatra Teatri, gaCnda interesi axali dadgmebis da axali samsaxiobo saxeebis da adgilobrivi mayureblisTvis aqamde ucnobi reJisorebis Semoqmedebis mimarT. profesiul wreebSi da mayurebelSi didi interesi gamoiwvia vano xuciSvilis speqtaklma „3+3“ (manana doiaSvilis adreuli periodis fsiqologiuri drama), romelic gasuli saukunis 90-iani wlebis adamianur travmebs aRviZebs. reJisorma ki, TiTqmis 30 wlis Semdeg, piesaSi wamoWrili problemebi sxva aqcentebiT gaacocxla. vano xuciSvilma postpandemiur periodSi, dagvixata gmirebi, romlebic erT sivrceSi Seqmnili garemoebiT gamowveuli iZulebiTi Caketiloba ojaxis wevrebs erTmaneTis mtrebad aqcevs. mayurebelma da saTeatro sazogadoebam interesiT miiRo dimitri xvTisiaSvilis Tamar barTaias „mTavari rolis“ mixedviT dadgmuli lirikuli komedia. mayurebelma Teatris did da mcire scenebze aseve ixila Tojinuri warmodgena „don kixoti“ (reJisori: elene macxonaSvili), „neapoli

milionerTa qalaqi“ (reJisori: oTar kutalaZe), „vernisaJi“ (reJisori: mamuka babiloZe). ganaxlebul TeatrSi, sadac msaxiobisa da teqnikuri personalisTvis komfortuli pirobebia Seqmnili, ozurgeTis Teatris gundi motivirebulia ukeTesi mxatvruli xarisxis produqtis SeqmnisaTvis. Teatris xelmZRvaneloba (samxatvro xelmZRvaneli vaso CigogiZe, direqtori zaza jinWaraZe) da dasi acnobierebs Tanamedrove Teatris SemoqmedebiT gamowvevebs da pasuxismgeblobiT, ganaxlebuli energiiTa da mondomebiT cdiloben upasuxon mayureblis moTxovnas. momavali sezonidan ozurgeTis TeatrSi speqtaklebs dadgamen cnobili qarTveli reJisorebi goCa kapanaZe „guriis ukanaskneli dedofali sofio“ da nikoloz sabaSvili „guriis respublika“. samxatvro xelmZRvaneli vaso CigogiZe molaparakebebs awarmoebs gamoCenil qarTvel reJisorTan Temur CxeiZesTan, aseve axalgazrda reJisorebTanac, romlebmac ukve daimkvidres sakuTari adgili qarTul saTeatro rukaze, xolo Tavad rezo kldiaSvilis „imerul rekviems“ da uiliam Seqspiris „hamlets“ dadgams. ozurgeTis Teatri ara mxolod reabilitirebuli SenobiT xdeba mimzidveli, aramed axali repertuariT, romelic yvela gemovnebis, interesis, asakis da msoflmxedvelobis mayurebelzea gaTvlili.

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dros ar unda CamorCe... mec ase minda vicxovro bolomde, ar minda umoqmedod davrCe da velodo...

2021 weli rTulad daiwyo. erTmaneTis miyolebiT gavacileT didi xelovanebi... faqtobrivad gavacileT qarTuli kulturis me-20 saukune. adamiani sakuTar beds Tavad qmnis, risi dasturic mari janaSias cxovreba da Semoqmedeba iyo, Semoqmedeba, romelic yovelTvis sargeblobda sazogadoebis didi siyvaruliT. mZime cxovrebiseuli gamocdis miuxedavad, maSin, roca amas aravin eloda, 2017 wels msaxiobi scenas daubrunda da Seqmna araerTi saintereso Teatraluri da kino saxe, iyo sazogadoebrivad Zalian aqtiuri. iyo bednieri, warmatebuli, mudam siaxlis ZiebaSi.. Tumca msaxiobis meore cxovreba sul xuTi weli gagrZelda. 2021 wlis 30 maiss mari janaSia maxaTas mTaze, sazogado moRvaweTa panTeonSi dakrZales. mari janaSias xsovnisaTvis minda gavixseno msaxiobTan ramdenime wlis win Cawerili interviu. cxovreba Cveul ritmSi grZeldeba, modian xelovanTa axali Taobebi, win bevri saintereso movlenaa...

Cvens Tvalwin iqmneba Tanamedrove qarTuli kulturis istoria, romlis erT-erTi gamorCeuli saxe mudam Cvens gulSi darCeba misi saocari rolebiTa da Rirseuli cxovrebis gziT...

ONE SHOULDN’T LAG BEHIND TIME… I TOO WANT TO LIVE IN THIS WAY TILL THE END, I DO NOT WANT TO REMAIN IDLE AND WAIT…

2021 started in a very difficult manner. We waved goodbye to great artists one after the other… We practically bid farewell to Georgian culture's 20th century.

The fact that people create their own destinies can be attested by Mari Janashia’s life and works – works that were always received with great warmth by society. Despite a difficult life, in 2017, when people least expected it, the actress returned to the stage, played several interesting theater and cinema characters, and became very active socially. She was happy, successful, always looking for something new… But the second life of the actress lasted only for five years. On the 30th of May 2021, Mari Janashia was buried in the Pantheon of public figures on the Makhatha Mountain.

In her honor, I would like to remember an interview I recorded with Mari Janashia a few years back. Life goes on with its usual rhythm, new generations of artists are coming, there are many exciting things to expect… The history of modern Georgian culture is being created right in front of us, and in our hearts, Mari Janashia, with her wonderful roles and dignified way of life, will always remain one of its most distinguished representatives…

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sicocxle scenaze da scenis miRma _ sad gadis zRvari realursa da gamogonil samyaros Soris? „vidre arseboben wminda kedlebi _ Sevewirebi“, es amonaridia im ficidan, romelic Teatraluri institutis damTavrebisas gamosaSveb saRamoze Cemma jgufma dado da TiToeuli Cvengani am fics SeZlebisdagvarad vasrulebT. Zalian gagvimarTla, radgan aRmzrdelad udidesi maestro, batoni miSa TumaniSvili gvyavda da romelic Cveni gzis manaTobelia dRemde. is gveubneboda, rom Teatri taZaria. maSin samwuxarod bolomde ver vxvdebodiT am Sedarebis mniSvnelobas. mxolod mogvianebiT aRviqvi, rom profesiidan gamomdinare Cvenc ambionze vdgavarT da vuqadagebT xalxs _ sad aris sikeTe da sad boroteba, sad simarTle an tyuili. ramdenime `kargi~ reJisorisagan msmenia _ `taZari ara, maZari, Teatria bardagiao~ (mapatieT es gamoTqma). diax, Cvens profesiaSi saTqmelia mTavari da Tu saTqmeli gaqvs _ taZaria, Tu ara...

Teatri CemTvis didi saswaulia, sadac ver gaavleb zRvars realursa da Seqmnil samyaros Soris; rodesac rame konkretul nawarmoebze muSaob, miT umetes, didi avtorisa, Senc am ambis monawile da Tanaziari xdebi. iseve gixaria, rogorc Sens gmirs da isev gtkiva, rogorc mas. Zieba! _ es aris yvelaze saintereso procesi, romlis Tanmdevi kiTxvaa _ ratom? Tu Ziebis procesSi, ama Tu im epizodSi, am kiTxvas pasuxi gaeci, ese igi axlos xar WeSmaritebasTan.

Life on stage and beyond the stage – where is the line between the real and imagined worlds?

“While there are sacred walls, I will sacrifice my life for them” – this is an excerpt from the oath that we students took during our graduation evening at the Theater Institute, and each of us is trying to stand by it as much as possible. We were very lucky to have the great master Misha Tumanishvili, whose vision still lights our path today, as a professor. He used to tell us that the Theater is a temple.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t fully grasp the significance of these words back then. It was only later that I realized that in our profession, we are also standing behind a pulpit, and preaching to people about good and evil, truth and deception. I’ve heard from some “good” directors – “What do you mean temple? Theater is a mess!” Yes, the most important thing in our profession is what we have to say, and if you have to say something, then it is a temple, if not…

To me, theater is a great miracle where you cannot draw a clear line between the real and imaginary worlds. When you’re working on a specific play, especially those of great authors, you become a participant in the story, and you are influenced by it. When your character is happy, you are happy too, and when he is grieving, you grieve. Research! This is the most interesting process, and its correlate question is – why? If in your research process, in this or that episode, you answer this question, it means you are close to the actual truth of the play.

I like theater plays that use the curtain… The curtain separates you from real life, and brings you into the unreal one. And at the end, when the show is over and the curtain is closed, your scenic life is over, and the other one starts anew, in which it is very difficult to relocate, and

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me fardiani speqtaklebi miyvars... farda gyofs realuri cxovrebisgan da Sehyavxar irealurSi. bolos ki, roca speqtakli mTavrdeba da farda eSveba, mTavrdeba Seni scenuri sicocxle da iwyeba yofa, romelSi gadasvlac Zalian Znelia da xSirad amis survilic ar gaqvs. swored amitom miyvars Cems sagrimioroSi ganmartoeba da adamianis gonebis ganuyrel da yvelaze erTgul megobarTan _ fiqrTan darCena... miuxedavad mayureblis didi da gansakuTrebuli siyvarulisa, iyo wlebi, roca marina janaSias scenaze fexi ar Seudgams. rogor gadalaxeT es? msaxiobisTvis yvelaze rTulad gadasatani SemoqmedebiTi procesisgan mowyvetaa. martivad rom vTqvaT, umuSevroba. roca grZnob, rom ar xar saWiro da Tanac maSin, roca ggonia, rom formaSi xar da SegiZlia bevri akeTo, obieqturi Tu subieqturi mizeziT gaCereba,

you often don’t even actually want to. That is why I like to isolate myself in my dressing room, and to stay alone with the inseparable and most faithful friend of human conscience – thought…

Despite the remarkable success and popularity you enjoyed, there were times, and even years, in which you weren’t on stage at all. How did you get over this?

The most difficult thing for an actor is to leave the creative process.

In other words, unemployment. When you feel that you are not needed, and when it happens to be at a time when you feel that you are in good shape and you can do many things, being held back, whether it is for objective or subjective reasons, equals your demise. Many people cannot bear that and are spiritually broken, but this is precisely the best time to gather strength and not shatter like a porcelain puppet. I’m not saying this from nothing. I’ve experienced many things myself, and this is why I allow myself to say it. Sometimes, you even accept “jobs” that you think might make you

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gardacvalebis tolfasia. xSirad amas ver uZleb da sulierad tydebi, magram umjobesia swored am dros gamonaxo Sens TavSi Zala da ar daimsxvre, rogorc faifuris Tojina. es cidan motanili fraza ar gaxlavT. bevri ram Tavad gamovcade sakuTar Tavze da mxolod amitom vbedav amis Tqmas. zogjer iseT `samuSaozec~ Tanxmdebi, rom ggonia, _ wlobiT Sekowiwebul da nagroveb mayureblis simpaTias rogorc peSvidan gaparul wyals, ise dakargav. magram Tu saqme giyvars, cdilob yvelaferi ise akeTo, rom es mogiwonon da Segiqon. rodesac am profesias irCev yvelaferi cisartyelas ferebad mosCans, magram roca realobas ejaxebi, Turme yvelafrisTvis mzad unda iyo... mTavaria giyvardes Seni profesia da iyo Zlieri. romeli ufro axlosaa Tqvens Sinagan samyarosTan: Teatri Tu kino?

Teatri rom artistisTvis umTavresia, amas yvela msaxiobi damidasturebs, magram kinoSi muSaobac Zalian

lose the sympathy of your audience, which you had accumulated for years, like fresh water pouring out of your hands, between your fingers. But if you love what you do, you try to do everything in order for them to like it and praise you. When you chose this profession, everything seemed as colorful as a rainbow, but when you have to face reality, you realize that you should have been prepared for a lot of things... The most important is to love what you do and to be strong.

Which one is closer to your inner world: theater or cinema?

Every actor will agree with me that theater is more important for us as artists, but I love playing in movies too. In Georgia, we have more “director” films, which means that they are less focused on actors. From our great directors, I can only think of a few who know the value of actors and appreciate them accordingly. That is why many great actors have left this country brokenhearted, and unfortunately, the younger generation only knows that they were good artists because they’ve heard it. I know all this very well, because I had intervals of several years between films myself, to

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miyvars. CvenTan ufro `reJisoris~ kinoa, sadac naklebad ainteresebT msaxiobi. gamorCeul reJisorTagan ramdenimes Tu CamovTvli, romelmac icis msaxiobis fasi da uyvars igi. amitomac araerTi marTlac didi msaxiobi wasula am qveynidan guldawyvetili da, samwuxarod, axalgazrda Taobam mxolod ambad icis, rom isini kargi artistebi iyvnen. yvela es tkivili CemTvisac nacnobia, radgan filmidan filmamde imdenwliani intervali mqonia, rom roca gadaRebaze miwvevdnen, kamerasTan SeSinebuli, damfrTxali, damwyebi msaxiobiviT videqi. unda vaRiaro, rom Zalian miyvars kinoSi muSaoba, miyvars msxvil xedze gmiris Sefaseba, sadac bagis kuTxis Tu Tvalis odnavi moZraobiT SegiZlia mayurebels gadasce Seni Sinagani mdgomareoba. es `WuWrutanas Teatris~ principia. amasac batoni miSa gvaswavlida _ `ise unda muSaobdeT, rom SemTxveviT gasaRebis WuWrutanaSi rom Semovixedo, unda megonos, rom yovelive sinamdvileSi xdebao~. roca gadaReba mTavrdeba, kamera imdenad `Cemi xdeba~, rom minatria _ gadaRebebi axla dawyebuliyo. gansakuTrebiT sainteresoa marina janaSias azri Tanamedrove qarTuli Teatris Sesaxeb. ra gamowvevebis winaSe dgas dRes is? meCveneba, rom dRes prioritetebi Seicvala. axla xelovnebam da, gansakuTrebiT Teatrma, ukana planze gadainacvla. ufro mniSvnelovani sxva, iolad gasagebi da mosasmeni sferoebi gaxda. rasakvirvelia, esec aucilebelia, magram Zneli sacqeria, roca Sens Tvalwin kotrdeba xelovneba, Sens Tvalwin nadgurdeba ena da, samwuxarod erTeulebis garda, es aravis aRelvebs. saqarTvelo swored rom rom kulturis, mwerlobis, mecnierebis gamo iyo saamayo. axla am dargebis mimarT yuradReba minavlebulia. erT magaliTs moviyvan, the point that when I was invited to shootings, I stood in fear in front of the camera, petrified, like a new actor. I have to admit that I love working on films, I love playing with characters in close shots, where you can transmit your inner state to the public with a slight movement of the lips or eye. This is the principle of the ‘keyhole Theater’. This was also taught to us by Mr. Tumanishvili – “You have to work in such a way that if I happen to look in the keyhole by chance, you make me think that everything I see is actually happening in real life.” When shootings are over, I feel so close to the camera that I often wish for the shooting to start again.

Your thoughts about contemporary Georgian theater are particularly interesting. What challenges is it currently facing?

I have the feeling that the priorities have changed. Today, art, and especially theater, are considered less important. Other, more easily understandable fields have become more important. Naturally, they are necessary too, but it is difficult to watch when an art, a language, is vanishing in front of you, and that, unfortunately, apart from a

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romelic piradad Zalian momwons: rodesac CerCils uTxres omis gamo kulturis biujeti unda SevamciroTo, man ikiTxa, maSin risTvis vomobTo? albaT, gasagebia es magaliTi risTvisac moviyvane. CvenSi xelovnebis aseTi gulSematkivari Tu gamoCnda, misgan aucileblad mtris xats vqmniT _ diax, es Zalian samwuxaro faqtia. arc Tu Soreul warsulSi erTi kulturis ministri gvyavda. rodesac wamyvanma pirdapir eTerSi hkiTxa _ bolos ra speqtakli naxeTo, upasuxa: sulac ar aris aucilebeli speqtaklebs daveswro, mTavaria viyo kargi menejeri, rom kargi speqtaklebi dadgano. ras izam, „bevri ram xdeba Cemo horacio...“ kidev erTi ram mawuxebs. oriode aTeuli wlis win Teatralur institutSi magaliTisTvis samsaxiobo fakultetze iRebdnen ocdaaTamde bavSvs. Teatraluris damTavrebis Semdeg ikribebodnen ara mxolod Tbilisis, aramed sxvadasxva raionis Teatrebis reJisorebi da xelmZRvanelebi, romlebic TavianTi TeatrebisTvis irCevdnen msaxiobebs. ase,

handful of people, nobody really minds. If we are proud of Georgia, it is precisely because of its culture, literature, and scientists, but today, attention towards these fields has shrunk. I will give an example that I think is very revealing: when they told Churchill that they had to cut down the financing of culture because of the war, he asked – “Then what are we fighting for?” You probably understand why I am referring to that. If there is someone as passionate as that in our country, we always make them look like enemies, which is regrettable. Not so long ago, when asked on live TV about the last show he had seen, one of our former Ministers of Culture answered: “It isn’t necessary for me to attend shows, the most important thing is for me to be a good manager, so that people can stage good shows. ‘What can we do? There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio...’ There is another thing that bothers me. About twenty years ago, at the Theater Institute, they were receiving, for instance at the Faculty of Drama, around 30 students. When the latter were graduating, dramaturgs and heads of theaters from Tbilisi and various regions were gathering and choosing actors for their theaters. As a result, no young actor was left without a job. Years ago, charging faculties appeared. The number of students has increased, which has very much hindered the educational process and quality.

Students often come out of the Theatre Institute without knowing anything about their own abilities. Most disconcerting is the fact that nobody invites them to work after they have graduated, because it is impossible to find enough place for so many new actors in this small country, and they have to forget about those four years, and search for another profession. For me personally, this is really tragic, because I know the passion of the young people who go to the Theater Institute because of their love of this field, and who are interested precisely in the magical world called theater.

What advice would you give young actors?

The stage is like an x-ray. It uncovers your inner world, your nature, even your knowledge. Therefore, you may play a role very well and merit praise from the public, but if you are not sincere, you won’t earn their sincere love either, which is so essential for artists.

A true actor doesn’t have the right to stop. You have to be in a constant process of research– about what is happening in the theater world, in music, in art in general… You need to know literature (old and new), to pay attention to what is changing around you, because in this profession, you don’t have the right to freeze; you can’t fall behind your epoch. I want to live like that till the end; I don’t want to be inactive and in expectation… “Movement, and movement alone, my Tergo”… And of course – while there are sacred walls, I will sacrifice my life for them…

Interview by Teo Jakeli

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rom arc erTi axalgazrda umuSevari ar rCeboda. wlebis win gaCnda fasiani fakultetebi. jgufebSi gaizarda studentTa raodenoba, ramac Zalian Seaferxa swavlebis procesi da xarisxic. xSirad axalgazrda ise amTavrebs Teatralur universitets, rom man sakuTari SesaZleblobebis Sesaxeb araferi icis. yvelaze savalalo ki is faqtia, rom swavlebis dasrulebis Semdeg maT samuSaod aravin iwvevs, radgan am patara qveyanaSi SeuZlebelia amdeni damwyebi msaxiobis adgili gamoiZebnos da isinic iZulebuli arian es oTxi weli wyalSi gadayaron, sxvadasxva profesiaSi eZion Tavi. piradad CemTvis es didi tkivilia, radgan kargad mesmis im gulanTebuli bavSvebis, romlebic am profesiis siyvarulis gamo midian TeatralurSi, romlebsac swored is jadosnuri samyaro ainteresebT, rasac Teatri hqvia.

dabolos, ras urCevdiT axalgazrda msaxiobebs? scena rentgeniviTaa. aSiSvlebs Sens Sinagan samyaros, Sens bunebas, Sens wignierebasac ki. amitom, SeiZleba Zalian kargad iTamaSo roli da mayureblis mowonebac daimsaxuro, magram ver moipoveb mis siyvaruls, rac aseTi aucilebelia artistisTvis.

WeSmarit msaxiobs gaCerebis ufleba ar aqvs. sul unda eZebo _ Tu ra xdeba axali Teatris samyaroSi, musikaSi, mxatvrobaSi... unda icnobde literaturas (Zvelsac da axalsac), ra icvleba Sens irgvliv, radgan am profesiaSi erT adgilze gaCerebis ufleba ar gaqvs. dros ar unda CamorCe... mec ase minda vicxovro bolomde, ar minda umoqmedod davrCe da velodo... „moZraoba da marto moZraoba Cemo Tergo“... manamde ki _ „vidre arseboben wminda kedlebi _ Sevewirebi“... esaubra Teo jayeli

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levan mizandari

xelovnebis muzeumSi daculi Tavad ColoyaSvilTa ferweruli portretebi da... axmetis jvarpatiosnis sagvareulo eklesia Levan Mizandari

PORTRAITS OF THE CHOLOKASHVILI PRINCES PRESERVED AT THE ART MUSEUM AND THE FAMILY'S JVARPATIOSANI CHURCH IN AKHMETA

ColoyaSvilebis gvars didi damsaxureba miuZRvis qarTveli eris winaSe. saqveynod cnobilni arian: poeti da saxelmwifo moRvawe garsevan ColoyaSvili; jvris mama beena ColoyaSvili; sasuliero da politikuri moRvawe, diplomati, mwignobari, pirveli qarTuli nabeWdi wignis erT-erTi gamomcemeli nikoloz ColoyaSvili, igive nikifore irbaxi; Sermazan ColoyaSvili _ aRmzrdeli Teimuraz mefisa; wmindanad Seracxuli, baxtrionis gmiri biZina ColoyaSvili; erovnuli gmiri qaquca ColoyaSvili da sxva mravalni Rirseulni.

ColoyaSvilTa gvaris warmoSobis Sesaxeb cnobas gvawvdis ioane bagrationi Tavis naSromSi ,,SemoklebiT aRwera saqarTvelosa Sina mcxovrebTa TavadTa da aznaurTa gvarebisa“ (1799 w.): ,,eseni arian Zvelad genuzielni (romel arian erni italiisani da amaTi didi xalxi movidnen da daipyres yirimi welsa qristes aqeT

The Cholokashvili family has accomplished great deeds for the Georgian nation. Its most popular members are: poet and statesman Garsevan Cholokashvili; Beena Cholokashvili, father at the Jvari monastery; religious and political figure, diplomat, scholar, and one of the publishers of the first printed Georgian book, Nikoloz Cholokashvili, also known as Niciphores Irbachi; Shermazan Cholokashvili – the tutor of King Teimuraz; sainted hero of the Bakhtrioni Uprising Bidzina Cholokashvili; national hero Kakutsa Cholokashvili.

Ioane Bagrationi sheds some light about the origin of the family name Cholokashvili in his book ‘Origins of the family names of Georgian nobility’ (1799): “These are former Genoese, an Italian nation, and their great people came and conquered Crimea in 1100 AD, and afterwards they were welcomed by the Venetians in 1297, and were trading from the Pontic Sea to the Caspian Sea, and one of their authority

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1100 da Semdgomad miuRes venecielTa welsa 1297-sa da vaWrobden pontoiisa zRvidgan vidre kaspiis zRvamdisaca da amaTganman vinme winamZRomelman moiwona adgili gemri daRistanis mxares da gardmosaxlda mun eriTa mravliTa, romelsa awca uwodeben genoelTa da qofaCTa da mTavarsa mas genelTasa uwodes daRestnelTa ColaRad, vinaidgan hyva mravali cxovari da zroxa da vake adgilTa xmarobda igi da awuxebda muneburTa ama mizezisaTvis muneburTa ukve xalxTa aRiRes Suri ColaRaze, iavar hyves yovliTurT da ase gaaRaribes, romel erTisa xarisa sakidariTa ZlivRa movida saxleulobiTa TvisiTa darubandis gziT mefisa giorgisa Tana welsa qristes aqeT 1320-sa da ama mefeman miiRo igi friad, radgan aqvnda pirvelve saqarTvelos mefeTa zeda samsaxuri amaTa winaparTa da Semdgom ama ColaRasaca da amisTvis mefeman Seiwynara da miiRo Tavadad ColaRadve gvarad da uboZa kaxeTsa Sina mamulni beiTalmani Tavadis irubaqis Zisa (romelic iyo irubaq kaxosis STamamavlobaTagani Zveladve adgilsa (senoris xeobasa mdgomare) da uboZa mun soflebi da agreTve axmetas da TianeTs nawilni mamulni da arian munidgan Tavadni pirvelni TiTqmis kaxeTsa Sina.“ feodaluri xanis TiTqmis yvela qveyanaSi warCinebuli gvarebi TavianT warmomavlobas ucxo saxelmwifoebTan akavSirebdnen. profesor iase cincaZis azriT, xSir SemTxvevaSi ararsebul istorias imisTvis Txzavdnen, rom adgilobrivi gabatonebuli wreebisgan gansxvavebuliyvnen. aseTi cnobebiTa da legendebiT savsea ioane bagrationis `aRwera~.

figures liked the place Gemri in the Dagestan region, and he settled there with many people, whom they still call Genoese, and Dagestanis named their leader “Cholagha”, because they had many sheep and cows, and used a lot of land, and were upsetting their neighbors, and because of this his neighbors spread jealousy towards Chologha among people, they left him to himself and impoverished him in this way, after which he barely made it, through Derbent, together with his family and one cow’s load, to King George in 1320 AD, and this King received him with honors, because Chologha and his ancestors had helped Georgian kings; for this, the king gave him a princely title, gave him the surname Cholokashvili, and the lands of the childless Irubakidze in Kakheti (which were located in the former dwelling places of the descendants of prince Irubak Kakhosi – in the Senori valley), and handed them villages as well as part of the lands of Akhmeta and Tianeti, and from then onwards, they have become almost the foremost princes in Kakheti.”

In almost all countries of the Middle Ages, prominent families were linking their ancestry to foreign states. According to professor Iase Tsintsadze, they were often creating these false stories in order to stand out from local ruling circles. Ioane Bagrationi’s ‘Origins’ is full of such stories and legends.

Ioane’s version of the Italian origin of the Cholokashvili family is contradicted by the genetic analyses carried out several branches of the Cholokashvili family. The samples were sent to the city of Houston, in the state of Texas, USA, in one of the most renowned genetic research centers, Family Tree DNA, the laboratory of which is located at the Arizona University. The genetic tests showed that

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italiidan mosvlis ioaneseul gadmocemas abaTilebs genetikuri kvleva, romelic ColoyaSvilTa sagvareulodan sxvadasxva Stos warmomadgenelma Caitara. aRebuli nimuSebi gaigzavna aSS-s teqsasis Statis qalaq hiustonSi erT-erT yvelaze cnobil genetikuri kvlevis centr Family Tree DNA-Si romlis laboratoriac ganTavsebulia arizonas universitetSi. genetikuri kvlevis Sedegad dadginda, rom testirebulTa Sedegi identuria da haplojguf G2a-L1266-is G2a2b2a1a1a1b2 - PH1780 ganStoeba 6000 wlis win warmoiSva da maRali sixSiriT gavrcelebulia qarTvelebsa da kavkasiis xalxebSi. ColoyaSvilTa jgufs daemTxva mayaSvilis testis nimuSic. dadginda, rom am ori gvaris warmomadgenlebs saerTo winapari hyavdaT daaxloebiT 900 wlis win, ioane bagrationic amas wers: `mayaSvilebi arian meorisa xarisxisa Tavadni misve ColaRas gvarisani“. amave qvejgufs miekuTvneba kidev 54 qarTuli gvari, Tumca, maT saerTo winapari ColoyaSvil-mayaSvilebTan preistoriul xanaSi hyavdaT. ioane batoniSvilis cnobas, rom ColoRa darubandis gziT Camovida saqarTveloSi, garkveulwilad imeorebs xalxuri gadmocemac: qaquca ColoyaSvilis megobrisa da TanamebrZolis al. sulxaniSvili Tavis naSromSi `mogonebebi SeficulTa razmze~ wers: `xevsureTi kargad icnobda ColoyaanT gvars mama-papidan. iq dRemde legendad aris SemorCenili, rom ColoyaSvilebi xevsurTa Camomavalni arian. am legendis Tanaxmad brZolaSi daWrili erTi saxelganTqmuli xevsuri dakoWlebula, amitom `Coloxa~ daurqmeviaT misTvis, xolo mefes ki Tavadoba uboZebia qvelobisaTvis da is barSi dausaxlebia, iq, sadac ColoyaanT cixea sofel matanSi...“.

ColoyaSvilTa sagvareulos kvlevisTvis fasdaudebelia qarTuli genealogiuri sazogadoebis damaarseblis, b-n iuri Ciqovanis samecniero memkvidreoba _ TavadTa genealogiuri nusxebi.

ColoyaSvilebi STamomavlobiT atarebdnen kaxeTis samefos saxlTuxucesobas, iyvnen mTavarsardlebi, mdivanbegni, boqaulTuxucesni, sufrajni, eSikaRabaSni, amilaxvarni, mordarni da maRali sasuliero wodebis warmomadgenlebi _ amba alaverdeli, jvris mama ierusalimSi, Wiauris, TianeTis, marilisis, fSavxevsureTis, TuSeTis, pankisis, baxtrionis, qorbalas, lalisyuris, vefxis-cixis, kakabeTis, Tval-sagarejos, sarTiWalis mouravebi da sxv. isini mamulebs flobdnen axmetaSi, matanSi, maCxanSi, lalisyurSi, ujarmaSi, sagarejoSi, xaSmSi (yarabulaxSi), bakurcixesa da kisisxevSi. vaxuSti batoniSvili Tavis naSromSi `aRwera samefosa saqarTvelosa“ (1745 w) wers: `mdivanni, eseni iyvnen wesiTa umaRlesni da umdablesni: mefis-Tanani pativiTa

the results were identic among the different branches, and that the G2a2b2a1a1a1b2 - PH1780 ramification of haplogroup G2a-L1266 appeared 6000 years ago, and has a relatively large distribution among Georgians and Caucasian peoples. A test sample from the Makashvili family matched with the Cholokashvili group, and it was established that the representatives of these two families had a common ancestor about 900 years ago. Ioane Bagrationi writes: “The Makashvilis are princes of the second degree from the Cholagha family”. 54 other family names belong to this subgroup, but their common ancestor with the Cholokashvili-Makashvilis is to be found in prehistoric times.

Ioane Batonishvili’s idea that Chologha came to Georgia through Derbent is also partly echoed by oral tradition.

In his work ‘Memories of the oath-bound unit’, Kakutsa Cholokashvili’s friend and companion in arms Al. Sulkhanishvili writes: “The region of Khevsureti knew the Choloka name well for generations. To this day, the legend goes that the Cholokashvilis are the descendants of Khevsurs. According to this legend, a renowned Khevsur warrior got wounded in battle and went lame, which is why they called him “Cholokha” (“lame”), and the King ennobled him for his bravery, and established him in the valley, where the Cholokashvili’s fortress is located, in the village Matani…”

For the study of the Cholokashvili family, the scientific material left by Mr. Iuri Chikovani, the founder of the Georgian Society of Genealogy, is invaluable.

Prince-Masters of Kakheti, the Cholokashvilis were carrying out the duties of commanders-in-chief, judges, law officer superintendents, and many other important traditional feudal posts, and also held high spiritual positions; they were regional governors in Chiauri, Tianeti, Marilisi, Pshav-Khevsureti, Tusheti, Pankisi, Bakhtrioni, Korbala, Laliskuri, Vepkhis-tsikhe, Kakabeti, Tval-Sagarejo, Sartichala, and others. They also owned lands in Akhmeta, Matani, Machkani, Laliskuri, Ujarma, Sagarejo, Khashmi (Karabulakhi), Bakurtsikhe, and Kisiskhevi.

In his work ‘Description of the Kingdom of Georgia’ (1745), Vakhushti Batonishvili writes: “There were royal attendants of higher and lesser ranks. Those of higher ranks were respected by the king.

It was said that Cholokashvili could indulge in any behavior or sin, and that as a punishment, he would only get the thumb of his right hand cut off, nothing else.”

The cutting off of the right thumb might seem a small punishment compared to others, but in this context, without one’s right thumb, warriors could not battle and defend themselves, which was a terrible sentence at the time. Fortunately, no one from this family got their thumbs cut off.

The Shalva Amiranashvili Art Museum preserves painted portraits of members of the Cholokashvili family done by anonymous painters in the first half of the 19th century.

Grigol Cholokashvili’s portrait, which was donated to the museum

by Georgia’s History and Ethnography Society in 1922, was recently restored.

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umaRlesni viTarca ityKs: `mdivansa Cuensa ColayaSvils ara raY ekadros, TKnier didisa SecodebisaTKs mefisa marjuena ceri moeWras, amisgan kide ara ra~.

TiTqos, marjvena ceris moWra sxva sasjelTa fonze mcire sasjelad Cans, magram ase ar aris, moWrili ceriT meomari veRar SeZlebda brZolasa da Tavdacvas, rac im dros sastiki ganaCeni iyo. sabednierod, am gvaridan aravisTvis mouWriaT ceri.

Salva amiranaSvilis saxelobis xelovnebis muzeumSi daculia XIX s-is pirvel naxevarSi ucnobi mxatvrebis mier Sesrulebuli Tavad ColoyaSvilTa ferweruli portretebi. axlaxan restavracia Cautarda grigol ColoyaSvilis portrets. romelic 1922 wels muzeumisTvis gadaucia saqarTvelos saistorio da saeTnografio sazogadoebas.

Cvens winaSea kavaleriis kapitani, wm. vladimiris III xarisxis ordenis kavaleri, Tavadi grigol qaixosros Ze ColoyaSvili, romelic daibada 1787 wels da gardaicvala 1831 wels TbilisSi. dakrZalulia axmetaSi, papamisis, kaxeTis saxlTuxuces grigol qaixosros Ze ColoyaSvilis mier aSenebul jvarpatiosnis sagvareulo eklesiaSi. misi saflavis qvaze kargad ikiTxeba teqsti: `aq ganisvenebs guami Tavadis, kapitnisa da kavaleriisa grigol qaixosros Zis Coloyaevisa Sobili CRpz-s welsa dekembris ia-s dResa, romelica mRelvaresa saukunesa amasa Sina arsebda bednierebiTa SemTxveviTa wmindasa vladimeris mesamis xarisxis ordenTa...“ grigolis Sesaxeb cnobebi gvxvdeba istoriul dokumentSi _ `ganweseba erekle mefis dakrZalvisa (1798)“: `amasTan unda epyras samefo sfera queyanisa vercxlis fadnoszed, baliSdebulsa zeda, ColoyaSvils qaixosro saxlT-xucis Zes grigols; amas Seudges marjueniT favleniSvili, fareST-uxucesi zaqaria da marcxeniT beJan mdivanbegis Svili ioseb; amas samefosa sferasa moegebnen orni igi Semosili arxidiakonni _ domenti da germane, Tavi moudrikon da ukmion sakmeveliTa, viTa zemo gardacemul ars, kanonisamebr.“ am Stos warmomadgenlebi odiTgan iyvnen kaxeTis samefos saxlTuxucesebi da mefis Semdeg iTvlebodnen umaRlesi rangis xelisuflad. Tumca, qarTl-kaxeTis samefos gauqmebisa da ruseTTan SeerTebis Semdeg, mdgomareoba Seicvala.

1804 wels, 17 wlis grigol ColoyaSvili mamasTan, qaixosrosTan da ZmasTan abelTan erTad mTiuleTis ajanyebaSi monawileobisTvis daadanaSaules. 1804 wlis 4 noembers pavle cicianovma daavala volkonskis kaxeTidan SvilebiTurT wamoeyvana qarTl-kaxeTis yofili saxlTuxucesi qaixosro ColoyaSvili. qaixosro da abeli winaaRmdegobis gareSe wahyvnen Telavis kapitan-ispravniks solomkas, xolo grigoli am dros sxvagan imyofeboda. Telavidan 12 versic ar

grigol qaixosros Ze ColoyaSvili GRIGOL CHOLOKASHVILI, SON OF KAIKHOSRO

This is a cavalry captain, recipient of the Order of St. Vladimir of the 3rd degree, prince Grigol Cholokashvili, son of Kaikhosro.

He was born in 1787, and died in 1831 in Tbilisi. He is buried in Akhmeta, in the family church of Jvarpatiosani, which was built by his grandfather, Kakheti’s Prince-Master Grigol Cholokashvili, son of Kaiskhosro. On his tombstone, one can clearly read the following text: “Here lie the remains of prince Grigol Cholokaev, captain of cavalry, son of Kaikhosro, born in the year 1787, on the 11th day of December, and who lived in this troubled century with happiness, and received the Order of St. Vladimir of the 3rd degree…”

One can also find notes about Grigol in the historic document ‘Appointment to the funeral of King Erekle (1798)’: “Prince Kaikhosro Cholokashvili’s son Grigiol has to hold the royal sphere in his hands, and the sphere should be lying on a silver tray with a cushion. To his right, there should be chief steward Favlenishvili, and to his left, Ioseb, the son of judge Bezhan.

Archdeacons Domenti and Germane should waft incense over this royal sphere, with their heads down.”

The representatives of this branch were once the PrinceMasters of the Kingdom of Kakheti, and were considered the highest rank of authority after the King. But after the Kingdom of

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hqondaT gavlili, rom qaixosros cxeni waiqca da imdenad daSavda, rom samkurnalod sof. xodaSenSi datoves. misi vaJi abeli ki daviTgarejas monasterSi gamoketes. gamojanmrTelebuli qaixosro TbilisSi Camoiyvanes da daapatimres. Semdeg wels, `qaixosro mokvda erTgulad namsaxuri tusaRobasa Sina rusTagan tfiliss“. rogorc grigol da abel ColoyaSvilebis gubernator litvinovis saxelze gagzavnili moxsenebidan irkveva, grigolic daupatimrebiaT: `gTxovT moxedoT Cvens ganwirulobas, orni weliwadi aris samni mamaSvili tusaRaT gaxldiT. mamaCveni sruls ubedurebaSi tusaRad myofi, mogvikvda, Cven davrCiT isev sapyrobileSi. daviqeciT, yma da mamuli sul wagvixda, deda upatronod gvyavs, SeismineT vedreba Cveni, erT-erTs ramdenisame Tavdebis micemiT gvebrZanos am muSaobis dros rom mivxedoT Cvens mamuls, erTs Tvis mosavali aviRoT da mere isev geaxlebiT aqav“. aleqsandre froneli 1812 wlis kaxeTis amboxebaze miZRvnil naSromSi (1907 w.) moixseniebs grigol ColoyaSvils.

aleqsandre grigolis Ze ColoyaSvili ALEKSANDRE CHOLOKASHVILI, SON OF GRIGOL

Kartl-Kakheti was abolished and annexed to Russia, the situation changed.

In 1804, 17-year-old Grigol Cholokashvili, together with his father Kaikhosro and brother Abel, was charged for participating in the Mtiuleti uprising. On the 4th of November 1804, Pavle Tsitisanov ordered Volkonski to bring the former Prince-Master of Kartl-Kakheti Kaikhosro Cholokashvili out of Kakheti, together with his children.

Kaikhosro and Abel followed Telavi’s captain and police chief Solomka without resistance, while Grigol was somewhere else at the time. Not long after leaving Telavi, Kaikhosro’s horse fell to the ground, and Kaikhosro got seriously wounded, so they left him in village Khodasheni in order for him to get better. As for his son Abel, they locked him in a cell at the Davit Gareji Monastery. When Kaikhosro got better, they brought him to Tbilisi and put him in prison. One year later, “Kaikhosro, loyal servant of the King, died imprisoned by Russians in Tbilisi”.

As one can read in a letter sent by Grigol and Abel Cholokashvili to governor Litvinov, they also imprisoned Grigol: “Please acknowledge our despair, a father and two sons were imprisoned for two years. Our father died in complete misery, and we remain in custody. We are destroyed, we lost all our men and lands, our mother is alone, please hear our imploration, let but one of us be ordered to go cultivate our lands, take one month’s harvest, and then get back here”.

Aleksandre Proneli mentions Grigol Cholokashvili in his work (1907) on the 1812 Kakheti uprising.

“The old customs and arrangement of Georgia were more of a feudal and aristocratic type. The administrative authorities and army were responsible towards the nobility. High priests, chief judges, judges, regional landlords, and military commanders were mainly coming from noble families. People were used to each of their names. People from Tianeti, Pshavi, and Khevsureti got so used to being governed by the Cholokashvilis, that they didn’t even want to hear about other families.

Marquis Paulucci chose prince Makashvili, who had been awarded the “collezhki sovietniki” grade, as a governor. Under the Georgian Kingdom, Makashvili was a Prince-Master, and the marquis thought that Kakhetians paid him much respect. He was also loyal to the Russian government and administration.

People from Tianeti started protesting vehemently – “We don’t want Makashvili, we have been ruled by the Cholokashvili family for more than 500 years, how could we let someone else dictate their rule here”. Makashvili knew the disposition and temper of his compatriots better than the marquis, and he declined the rule of Tianeti-Pshavi-Khevsureti – he didn’t even dare to actually show himself to the Tianetians. Commander-in-chief Rtishchev agreed to the request of the Tianetians, and appointed Grigol Cholokashvili as their governor. Tianetians managed to push their will, and got a Cholokashvili as their governor. If the communities of the Georgian nation got so used and were so loyal to each noble family, now think for a minute, what would be the reaction of the nobility of

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`Zvelis saqarTvelos wes-wyobileba ufro feodalur aristokratuli iyo. marTva-gamgeoba da laSqari Tavadobas ekiTxeboda. mRvdel-mTavarni, mdivan-begni, msajulni, mouravni da sardalni mometebulad didis gvarisani iyvnen. xalxic miCveuli iyo TviToeuls gvarsa. Tianelebi, fSavxevsurni ise SeeCvivnen ColoyaanT gvaris mouravobas, rom sxva gvaris kacis danaxva TvaliTac ar undodaT. samouraod markiz pauluCma aarCia Tavadi mayaSvili, dajildoebuli kolleJski sovetnikis CiniT. mayaSvili JamTa mefobisa saxlT-xucesobda da, markizis azriT, kaxeloba did pativsa scemda. rusis mTavrobisa da samsaxursac erTguli yofila. uSvelebeli aurzauri astexes Tianelebma — ar gvinda mayaSvili, 500 weliwadze metia, rac Coloyaani gvmouravobdnen da sxvas rogor gavaWaWanebT CvenSio. mayaSvilma markizze uked icoda TvisTa TanamemamuleTa zne-xasiaTi da xeli aiRo TianeT-fSav-xevsureTis mouravobaze, ase gasinjeT, isic-ki ver gahbeda, rom TvaliT mainc sCveneboda Tianelebs. mTavar-marTebelma rtiSCevma Tianelebs mouravad daudgina Txovnisamebr T. grigol ColoyaSvili. Tianelebma Tavisi gaitanes da mouravad ColoyaSvili iSovnes. Tu qarTvelTa eris Temebi ase SeeCvia da erTgulobda saTiTao gvarsa, axla ifiqreT, ra gunebaze iqneboda maSindeli didkacoba, miCveuli marTva-gamgeobas, wvril-fexa moxeleTa yoyloCinobas rom dainaxavda? feodalur qveyanaSi rusis mTavrobam gaabatona biurokratiuli sistema marTva-gamgeobisa. es ki iseTi wesia, romelic ukargavs fassa da iers gvarovnebas da STamomavlobas. xSirad patara, uTvistomo moxele, diakvnisa, an nasaldaTaris Svili, nel-nela micocavs saierarqio kibeze da bolos, dajildoebuli Cin-ordenebiT, ibereba da ifxvireba indoursaviT. amisTana biurokrats ca qudad ar miaCnia da deda-miwa qalamnad.“ msgavs ambavs aRwers aleqsandre diuma Tavis TxzulebaSi `kavkasia“(1858 w): `TuSTa erTi boqauli, Tavadi ColoyaSvili gardaicvala da mis adgilze sxva boqauli daniSnes. am ukanasknels ar hqonda pativi, yofiliyo gvarad ColoyaSvili, TuSebs ki maincdamainc ColoyaSvili undodaT. ise daJinebiT moiTxovdnen amas TuSebi, rom xelisufalni Seudgnen Zebnas da ZlivZlivobiT aRmoaCines ColoyaSvilTa gvaris ukanaskneli warmomadgeneli. da miuxedavad imisa, rom susti agebulebis jandagi kaci iyo, mainc daniSnes boqaulad didad gasaxarelad TuSebisa, romelTac, rogorc iyo eRirsaT sawadeli boqauli.“ Tavad aleqsandre ColoyaSvilis portreti, sainventaro wignis monacemiT, muzeums 1922 w. Seswires misma STamomavlebma aleqsandrem, giorgim, daviTma da irakli revazis Ze ColoyaSvilebma, maTma debma elisabedma da Tamarma. sainteresoa is faqti, rom CamoTvlilTagan

TinaTin erisTavi-ColoyaSvilisa TINATIN ERISTAVI-CHOLOKASHVILI

the time, which was accustomed to ruling and governing, when they were faced with the arrogance of petty officials? Russian authorities had implanted a bureaucratic system of governance in a feudal country. And this is the kind of system that hinders the value and charm of nobility and ancestral qualities. Oftentimes, a small, kinless official, the child of a deacon or a former soldier, slowly climbs up the hierarchy ladder, and in the end, endowed with ranks and grades, he inflates and shows off like a turkey. For these kinds of bureaucrats, the sky could not fit as their hat, and Earth as their shoe.”

Alexandre Dumas describes this kind of occurrence in his work ‘Adventures in the Caucasus’ (1858): “A governor of the Tushetian people, Prince Cholokashvili, passed away, and so they named another governor. The latter didn’t have the chance to be from the Cholokashvili family, and the Tushetians unequivocally wanted a Cholokashvili. The Tushetians were demanding this with such willpower, that the authorities started searching, and they finally found the last representative of the Cholokashvili family. And despite the fact that he was a physically weak person, he was still named as the governor, to the great happiness of the Tushetians, who eventually managed to have the kind of governor they desired.”

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irakli 1915 wels daiRupa pirvel msoflio omSi, giorgi 1919 wels gardaicvala, xolo Tamari am dros ukve londonSi cxovrobda. faqtia, istorias rom srulad SemorCenoda ojaxis wevrTa saxelebi, da-Zmebma erTmaneTi moixsenies Cuqebis aqtSi. genealogiuri nusxis mixedviT, aleqsandre zemoxsenebuli grigolis ufrosi vaJia. aleqsandre (18121875) poruCikis Cins atarebda, colad hyavda yvarleli Tavadis, dimitri WavWavaZis asuli elisabedi (1816-1891), romelic ilia WavWavaZes gare biZaSvilad ekuTvnoda. naxatze is daaxloebiT 18-19 wlis unda iyos. savaraudod, mama-Svilis ferweruli tiloebi Sesrulebulia 1830-1831 wlebSi. fondSi daculia TinaTin ColoyaSvilis portretic.

XVIII s-Si ColoyaSvilTa gvarSi ar gvxvdeba saxeli TinaTini, xolo XIX s-nis pirvel naxevarSi gvarSi 3 TinaTini fiqsirdeba, romlebic daibadnen 1838-1843 wlebSi, ferweruli tilo ki TariRdeba ufro adrindeli periodiT. ColoyaSvilTa meuRle TinaTinebic samgzis gvxvdeba, maTgan ori dabadebulia XVIII s-nis 70-90-ian wlebSi, xolo mesame 1820 wels. gamoricxvis meTodiT, SegviZlia davaskvnaT, rom saxeze gvaqvs saojaxo galerea _ mama, Svili da deda. tiloze gamosaxulia baxtrionis epopeis erT-erTi gmiris, Salva

aleqsandre giorgi Ze ColoyaSvili

On the second portrait, one can see prince Aleksandre Cholokashvili. According to the inventory book of the museum, the portrait was donated to the museum in 1922 by his descendants Aleksandre, Giorgi, Davit and Irakli, sons of Revazi Cholokashvili, and their sisters Elisabed and Tamar. It is noteworthy that from the listed donators, Irakli died in 1915 in the First World War, Giorgi died in 1919, while Tamar was already living in London. It makes no doubt that it is for the names of all family members to remain in history that the brothers and sisters mentioned all members in the donation papers.

According to genealogical trees, Aleksandre is the eldest son of abovementioned Grigol. Aleksandre (1812-1875) was a lieutenant, and was married to Elisabed (1816-1891), the daughter of Kvarelian prince Dimitri Chavchavadze and a distant cousin of Ilia Chavchavadze. On the painting, he is probably about 18-19 years old. The paintings of the father and son were produced in the years 1830-1831.

The fund preserves a portrait of Tinatin Cholokashvili In the 18th century, the first name Tinatin cannot be found in the Cholokashvili family, while in the first half of the 19th century, there are three Tinatin Cholokashvilis, born in the years 1838-1843, while the painting is from an earlier period. Among Cholokashvilis’ wives, we also find three Tinatins, two of which were born in the 1770-90s, and the third one in 1820s.

By elimination, we can deduct that we are in front of a family gallery – the father, son, and mother. The painting portrays the great-granddaughter of Shalva Tsamebuli, one of the heroes of the Bakhtrioni Uprising, the wife of Grigol Cholokashvili, and Aleksandre’s mother Tinatin Cholokashvili, daughter of Rostom, the Eristavi of Ksani. Like the other portraits, this one must have been done in the years 1830-1831.

The descendants of this family now live in Akhmeta and Tbilisi.

According to the museum’s inventory book, the grandfather of famous Georgian historian and ethnologist Kote Cholokashvili (1922-2013), Davit Cholokashvili (1857-1915), son of Konstantine, handed the portrait of his uncle Aleksandre Cholokashvili to the museum in 1912. This is captain of cavalry, recipient of the St. Anas order of the 3rd degree Aleksandre Cholokashvili (18091844), son of Giorgi. This branch of the Cholokashvilis lived in Laliskuri. Aleksandre died in battle against Dagestanis. His posterity continued through his daughters.

And finally, a portrait of Zakaria Cholokashvili.

The parents of Zakaria (also known as Zurab) Cholokashvili (18021851) lived in village Matani. His mother was Ripsime Batonishvili, daughter of Giorgi XII, King of Kartl-Kakheti. Zakaria was two years old when his father, governor of Tianeti, Pshavi, and Khevsureti Dimitri Cholokashvili was assassinated in Tianeti. Dimitri’s cousin was named in his place, a former judge, colonel Ivane Cholokashvili (?-1812).

ALEKSANDRE CHOLOKASHVILI, SON OF GIORGI

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wamebulis SvilTaSvili, grigol ColoyaSvilis meuRle da aleqsandres deda TinaTin rostom qsnis erisTavis asuli ColoyaSvilisa, romlis portretic Sesrulebuli unda iyos winamorbedebis msgavsad, 1830-1831 wlebSi. am ojaxis STamomavlebi dRes cxovroben axmetasa da TbilisSi. sainventaro wignis mixedviT, cnobili qarTveli istorikosis da eTnologis, kote ColoyaSvilis (19222013) papam, daviT konstantines Ze ColoyaSvilma (18571915) 1912 wels muzeums gadasca Tavisi biZis aleqsandre ColoyaSvilis portreti. es gaxlavT kapitani, wm. anas III xarisxis ordenis kavaleri, Tavadi aleqsandre giorgis Ze ColoyaSvili (1809-1844); ColoyaSvilTa es Sto lalisyurSi cxovrobda. aleqsandre daiRupa lekebTan brZolaSi. misi STamomavloba qalis xaziT gagrZelda. dabolos, zaqaria ColoyaSvilis portreti. zaqaria (igive zurab) ColoyaSvilis (1802-1851) mSoblebi sof. matanSi cxovrobdnen. deda gaxldaT qarTl-kaxeTis mefis, giorgi XII-is asuli rifsime batoniSvili. 2 wlis iyo zaqaria, rodesac mamamisi, TianeTis, fSavisa da xevsureTis mouravi, pristavi dimitri ColoyaSvili TianeTSi mokles. mis adgilze daniSnes dimitris biZaSvili, yofili mdivanbegi, polkovniki ivane ColoyaSvili (?-1812). aleqsandre froneli gviambobs: `polkovnik ivane ColoyaSvilis sikvdilis Semdeg, adaTisa da Cveulebis ZaliT, mouravoba ekuTvnoda batoniSvilis rifsime giorgis asulis Svilebs, zurabsa da aleqsandre ColoyaSvilebs. radgan mcire wlovani zurab da aleqsandre paJTa korpusSi swavlobdnen, maTi mouravoba ar iqneboda. markiz pauluCCis surda ColoyaanT gvari, viTarca moRalateni, moeSorebina Tavidan da TianeTis samouravo Caebarebina ruseTis sxva momxre da erTguli gvarisTvis. Semdeg zurab ColoyaSvili srulwlovani rom Seiqneboda, mainc mouravobas ver miiRebda, radgan samouravos magier, rifsimes TxovniT, Svilebs saTiTaod wliurad 500 m. pensia dauniSna mTavrobam da zurabi Tu mouravobas moiTxovda, etyodnen, — raRa ginda, pensias iReb da Sens qerqSi iyavio. ase hfiqrobda da bWobda markizi, magram Tianelebi da fSav-xevsurni sxva TvaliT ucqerodnen TavianTs uflebas.“ am ambis gagrZelebaze Cven zeviT visaubreT. zaqariam swavla daamTavra 1819 wels da daniSnes avstriis imperatoris saxelobis grenaderTa polkSi praporSCikad. monawileobda varnis aRebasa (1828 w.) da poloneTis ajanyebis CaqrobaSi (1831 w.).

1832 wels, kapitnis CiniT dabrunda samSobloSi da SeTqmulebaSi gaeria. SeTqmulebis gacemis Semdeg, komisiam igi eWvmitanilad scno.

zaqaria dimitris Ze ColoyaSvili ZAKARIA CHOLOKASHVILI, SON OF DIMITRI

Aleksandre Proneli writes: “After the death of colonel Ivane Cholokashvili, according to usage and custom, the governor position had to go to the children of Ripsime Batonishvili, daughter of Giorgi – Zurab and Aleksandre Cholokashvili. Because young Zurab and Aleksandre were at the cadet college, they could not become governors. Marquis Paulucci wanted to get rid of the Cholokashvili family, whom he regarded as traitors, and offer the governance of Tianeti to a family that would be loyal to Russia.

After that, when Zurab Cholokashvili would become an adult, he still could not become the governor, because at the request of Ripsime, in compensation of losing governance, her sons would each receive 500 rubles a year as a pension from the state, and if Zurab asked for a position as a governor, they would tell him – why do you want that now, you are getting a pension, know your place. This is how the marquis was thinking and pondering, but Tianetians, Pshavs and Khevsurs were seeing their own rights differently.” We have already discussed the continuation of this story a few paragraphs earlier.

Zakaria finished his studies in 1819, and was appointed as a “praporshchik” in the grenadier regiment of the Austrian Empire. He took part in the conquest of Varna (1828) and in putting down the Polish revolt (1831).

In 1832, he returned to his homeland as a captain, and got

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zaqarias pozicia SeTqmulebis Sesaxeb kargad Cans misi Cvenebebidan: `nuTu ar gijobT rusebTan mSvidobiani cxovreba, Cemi azriT Cven unda umadlodeT zenaars, rom rusebi ar stoveben Cvens miwawyals. Sen ici, Cemo megobaro, rom Turqebi, sparselebi, lekebi Tvalis daxamxamebaze gagvaniaveben da maSin ras izamT.“ `iese falavandovi, movida erTxel CemTan binaze elizbar da dimitri erisTovebTan, vaxtang orbelianovTan da maswav. dodaevTan erTad. saSinel bnel RameSi, muxlebamde talaxSi amosvrili, ramac Zalian gamakvirva. man amoiRo jibidan rveuli da undoda waekiTxa raRac gankargulebebis Sesaxeb, magram me dauxie igi da vTxove aRar waekiTxa aravisTvis aseTi umzgavsi rame; falavandovi gajavrebuli wavida... meore dRes davibare dodaevi, romelsac mtkiced gamoucxade dauyovnebliv wasuliyo aleqsandre orbelianovTan da Cemi saxeliT eTqva, rom me vwyvet yovelgvar kavSirs rogorc falavandovTan, ise erisTovTan da igive urCie TviTon masac; man damarwmuna, rom TviTonac ase moiqceoda“. radgan aleqsandre WavWavaZis meuRle salome orbeliani zaqarias gare biZaSvili iyo, aleqsandrec daadanaSaules SeTqmulebaSi. zaqaria ColoyaSvilma aseTi ram uTxra sagamoZiebo komisias: `aleqsandre

involved in a conspiracy. After the conspiracy was given away, the commission named him as one of the suspects.

Zakaria’s position about the conspiracy can clearly be understood from his testimony: “Don’t you prefer living in peace with Russians? In my opinion, we should be thankful to the Lord that Russians are not leaving our lands. You know, my friend, that Turks, Persians, Dagestanis would raze us to the ground in an instant, and what will you do then?”

“Iese Palavandov once came to my home together with Elizbar and Dimitri Eristov, Vakhtang Orbelianov and teacher Dodaev.

It was a very dark night, and they had mud up until their knees, which was very surprising to me. He took out a notebook from his pocket, and he wanted to read something to me about some directives, but I tore the notebook apart, and told him to never read such depraved words to anyone; Palavandov was angry and left… The next day, I summoned Dodaev, and clearly told him that he had to go to Aleksandre Orbelianov right away, and tell him on my behalf that I was cutting all ties with both Palavandov and Eristov, and I convinced him to do the same; he told me that he would.”

Because Aleksandre Chavchavadze’s wife Salome Orbeliani was Zakaria’s distant cousin, Aleksandre was also accused of being part of this conspiracy. Zakaria Cholokashvili told the following to the investigatory commission: “Aleksandre Chavchavadze would rather die for Russians at once than let Georgians start some disorder.” These words did not help the poet, and he was exiled to Tambov.

Because of his sincere and unconcealed testimony, Zakaria was not penalized, and he was incorporated to the infantry. In 1851, Zakaria stepped down from the military as a colonel, and he died the same year. His wife was Sopio, daughter of Konstantine Orbeliani. They did not have children.

On the painting, Zakaria, who was at the cadet college, should be about 9-10 years old. Therefore, the portrait must have been painted in the years 1811-1812.

‘Jvarpatiosani’ Family church of the Cholokashvilis, Akhmeta In ‘The Georgian Chronicles’, we can read: “When the King and Queen were baptized, and their children, and the whole nation, there was a tree standing in a specific place, on an inaccessible mound on a cliff, and it was an extremely beautiful and aromatic tree.”

King Mirian’s son Revi, with the benediction of the bishop and escorted by civilians, cut a wonder-working tree and moved it to Mtskheta. They prepared three wooden crosses from this tree, and erected one on the territory of the Jvari Church in Mtskheta, where there is currently a stone cross pedestal. The second on the Thkhothi mountain, where King Mirian lost his vision, and the third – at the periphery of Kakheti, in Ujarma, where King Mirian’s son Revi and his wife Salome Ujarmeli lived.

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The Jvarpatiosani Church is still standing in Ujarma; it preserved the

WavWavaZe mzad iyo umal rusebisTvis momkvdariyo, vidre daeSva qarTvelebisgan raime uwesrigobis wamowyebao“. am sityvebma ar uSvela poets, is tambovSi gadaasaxles. gulaxdili da daufaravi Cvenebebis gamo, zaqaria ar dasajes da qveiTTa polkSi ganaweses. 1851 wels, polkovnikis CiniT zaqaria gadadga samxedro samsaxuridan da imave wels gardaicvala. misi meuRle iyo sofio, Tavad konstantine orbelianis asuli. maT Svilebi ar hyoliaT. ferwerul tiloze paJTa korpusis (samxedro gimnaziis) aRsazrdeli zaqaria 9-10 wlis iqneba, Sesabamisad, portreti Sesrulebuli unda iyos 18111812 wlebSi.

Jvari Patiosani (“Honorable Cross”) from the 4th century. In his work ‘Holy Relics of Georgian Churches’ (2006), historian Eldar Bubulashvili tells us: “This cross is known as Ujarma’s Jvar-Patiosani. This cross was once moved to the village of Akhmeta. In 1923-1924, during the antireligious movement, it was lost”.

In the 12th-13th centuries, the fortified city of Ujarma was under the Cholokashvilis’ rule. It appears that in order to defend the cross during Dagestani invasions, in 1756, Kakheti’s Prince-Master Grigol Cholokashvili, son of Kaikhosro, moved the cross in Akhmeta, in a newly built residency on the left bed of river Orvili, in the Uto neighborhood, and built a church in the name of Jvar-Patiosani: “..We rebuilt the church of the Honorable Cross and adorned its

ColoyaSvilebis sagvareulo axmetis jvarpatiosnis eklesia `qarTlis cxovreba“ gviambobs: „viTar naTel iRes mefeman da dedofalman da SvilTa maTTa da yovelman erman maSin dga xe erTi adgilsa erTsa, kldesa zeda borcvsa Seuvalsa, da iyo xe igi mSuenieri friad da surneli.“ mirian mefis Ze revim episkoposis locva-kurTxeviTa da eris TanxlebiT, saswaulTmoqmedi xe moaWrevina da mcxeTaSi wamoabrZana. am xisgan daamzades sami xis jvari, 20 maiss erTi aRmarTes mcxeTis jvris teritoriaze, iq sadac qvis kvarcxlbeki dgas jvrisTvis. meore _ TxoTis mTaze, iq sadac mirian mefes TvalT daubnelda da mesame _ gare kaxeTSi, ujarmaSi, sadac mirian mefis Svili revi da misi meuRle salome ujarmeli cxovrobdnen. ujarmaSi axlac dgas jvarpatiosnis eklesia, iq meoTxe saukunidan inaxeboda jvari patiosani. istorikosi eldar bubulaSvili Tavis naSromSi `saqarTvelos eklesiis siwmindeebi“ (2006 w.) gvawvdis cnobas: `aRniSnuli jvari ujarmis jvar-patiosnis saxeliTaa cnobili. es jvari erTxans sofel axmetaSi iyo gadasvenebuli. 1923-1924 wlebSi, antireligiuri moZraobis dros, igi daikarga.~ XVII-XVIII ss-Si ujarmis cixe-qalaqi ColoyaSvilebis saTavadoSi Sedioda. rogorc Cans, lekianobis dros, jvaris dacvis mizniT, 1756 wels kaxeTis saxlTuxucesma grigol qaixosros Ze ColoyaSvilma jvari axmetaSi, utos ubanSi mdinare orvilis marcxena napirze axalaSenebul rezidenciaSi gadaitana da eklesiac aago jvarpatiosnis saxelze: `...aRvaSeneT eklesia patiosnis jvarisa da SevamkeviT SigniT da gareT utos Sina; da Tana aRvaSeneT cixec yovliT qmnilkeTilobiT...“.

1894 wels mRvdelma m. xelaSvilma moinaxula jvari patiosani da gazeT `mwyemsis“ N18-Si aRwera kidec: `am sofels axmetaSi gagonili mqonda ColoyaSvilebis karis eklesiis saxeli, romelsac jvarpatiosnis eklesias uwodeben, ganvizraxe naxva amisi, eklesia aris patara,

interior and exterior walls, in Uto; and we also rebuilt the fence, with all its attributes...”

In 1894, priest M. Khelashvili visited Jvari Patiosani, and he described it in the 18th issue of newspaper ‘Mtskemsis’: “I had heard the name of the Church of the Cholokashvili family, called the Jvarpatiosani Church, in the village of Akhmeta, and I decided to visit it. The church is small, inside, the alter is done in sky blue oil paint, and stars are gilded on it. The Patiosani Cross is placed on the right, the place of the Christ; it is about 70 cm high and about 55 cm wide. Its front side is gilded with silver, and on it are represented: 1) In the middle, the Crucifixion of the Christ; 2) The Raising of Lazarus; 3) The entrance of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem; 4) The baptism of the Christ; 5) The presentation of the Christ; 6) The nativity of Jesus Christ; 7) The Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary; 8) The Dormition of the Mother of God; 9) The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ – here, there are also the apostles, the Christ is above them, and on the sides, Moses and Elijah; 10) The arrival of the Holy Spirit; 11) The Resurrection of the Christ; and 12) The Ascension of Jesus. These depictions are annotated sometimes in the Khutsuri script, sometimes in Georgian, and the backside of the cross is gilded in silver.”

After the sovietization of Georgia, when they made Cholokashvilis leave their palace, the Jvari Patiosani was lost, together with icons. Unfortunately, the palace, which was used first as a library, then as a maternity home during communist times, got destroyed in 1987 together with its fence, and was used as construction material…

Today, the remains of past greatness still stand in the Uto neighborhood – a tower in half ruins, and the restored Jvarpatiosani Church, the wall inscription of which blesses the Cholokashvilis: “Protect us, live cross, here and after, with our wives, sons and daughters, and our descendants”.

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axmeta, jvarpatiosani, ColoyaSvilebis sagvareulo eklesia da cixe; mxatvari artem antanosi (2016 w.)

AKHMETA, JVARPATIOSANI, CHOLOKASHVILIS’ FAMILY CHURCH AND FORTRESS; PAINTER: ARTEM ANTANOS (2016)

SigniT sakurTxeveli cis feris zeTianis wamliT aris SeRebili da varayiani varskvlavebi asxeds. ...marjvniv macxovris adgilas aris dasvenebuli patiosani jvari, simaRliT erT arSinzed meti da siganiTac sami meoTxedi arSinisa. wina piri aqvs mooqrovili vecxliT moWedili da arian Semdgomi suraTni: 1) SuaSi jvarcma uflisa.

2) lazares mkvdreTiT aRdgineba. 3) ieso qristes ierusalimSi Sesvla, 4) naTlis-Reba qristesi. 5) mirqma uflisa, 6) Soba ieso qristesi. RvTismSobels gverdiT yrma uwevs. TaviT mogvni sdganan Tayvanis-sacemlad da orni angeloznic. 7) xareba RvTismSoblisa, 8) miZineba RvTismSoblisa. 9) feriscvaleba qristesi. aq mociqulni arian amaT zeviT qriste da aqeT iqiT mose da ilia.

10) sulis wmidis mosvla. 11) aRdgoma qristesi da 12) amaRleba uflisa. am suraTebs zogT xucurad da zogT

qarTulad aqvT warwera, ukana piri jvarisa vercxliT aris SeWedili.“ gasabWoebis Semdeg, rodesac ColoyaSvilebs daatovebines sasaxle, jvari patiosani xatebTan erTad daikarga. samwuxarod, sasaxle, sadac komunistebis dros ganTavsebuli iyo biblioTeka, Semdeg samSobiaro, 1987 wels cixis galavnianad daangries da samSeneblo masalad gamoiyenes... amJamad, utos ubanSi dgas naSTi warsuli didebisa _ naxevrad CamoSlili koSki da restavrirebuli jvarpatiosnis eklesia, romlis kedlis warwera locavs ColoyaSvilebs: `gvfarevde cxovelo jvaro aqaca da mermesaca meuRliT, ZiT da asuliT da momavalTaca CvenTa“.

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