Collaboration, confrontation, and controversy: the politics of monument restoration in Georgia and the case of Bagrati Cathedral

Abstract

This paper examines the history of the restoration, or more accurately, reconstruction of Bagrati Cathedral in western Georgia. Constructed in 1003, Bagrati Cathedral is an important cultural monument in the political and architectural history of Georgia. Destroyed by an explosion in 1691, the cathedral was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1994 in its ruined state. However, the Georgian government under President Mikheil Saakashvili and Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) officials made the reconstruction and reconsecration of the cathedral a priority. The reconstruction of Bagrati Cathedral, completed in September 2012, brought the differing aims of Georgian politicians, GOC officials, and architectural historians – the major players in the process – into sharp focus. This paper maintains that the rebuilding of Bagrati Cathedral was part of Saakashvili’s political agenda, which merged with the interests of the GOC and worked against the objectives of architectural historians and the aims of academic principles of restoration and preservation. The result is that Bagrati has been rebuilt but is under threat of removal from the World Heritage List. The story of Bagrati’s reconstruction has implications for the future of monument preservation and restoration in Georgia.

Keywords:

• Georgia
• Bagrati
• monument
• restoration
• Saakashvili
• UNESCO

Acknowledgements

This research project was completed with support from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

Notes

1 Bolnisi Cathedral (bolnisis sioni), constructed in 478–493, is located in the city of Bolnisi, 40 miles southwest of Tbilisi.

2 Dollar amounts calculated by the author using historical exchange rates.

3 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, http://mfa.gov.ge (9 October 2012).

4 The Domus prize was founded and is promoted by the Department of Architecture at the University Ferrara in Ferrar, Italy, and “gives visibility to restoration and recovery projects of particular interest” Architecture List, http://architecturelist.com.

5 Author’s personal observation during research trip to Georgia in 2013.

6 Author’s personal observations during research trips to Georgia in 2008 and 2011.

7 Author’s personal observations during research trips to Georgia in 2008 and 2011.