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| 41°46′14″N 44°48′38″E / 41.770503°N 44.810438°E | |
| Beginning date | 1985 |
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The "Chronicle of Georgia" (or History Memorial of Georgia) is a monument located near the Tbilisi Sea. It was built by Zurab Tsereteli in 1985 but was never fully finished. The monument sits at the top of a large set of stairs. The 16 pillars it consists of are between 30–35 meters tall, the top half featuring kings, queens, and heroes while the bottom part depicts stories from the life of Christ. There is a grapevine cross of St. Nino and a chapel.[1][2][3]
Background
Location
The "Chronicle of Georgia" is located on a large hill in the northern part of Tbilisi.
History
The "Chronicle of Georgia" records the history of the region which the country of Georgia occupies. “During the first five thousand years of human occupancy, the population of Georgia was scanty and thinly spread.” [1] The earliest evidence of wine has been found in Georgia. “This was the introduction of domesticated plants and agriculture. The advent of plant cultivation is the most important event in the development of any culture, so important this point in European pre-history has been called the ‘Agricultural Revolution’”.(Sears 5) In the above part, the brewing and pottery technology of the Georgian people is described. “After the beginning of the Christian era, a minor revolution took place in the culture of the sedentary shellfish-eating people. They begin to make pottery!”(Sears 4) Therefore, Georgian pottery-making technology is also demonstrated at the top of the "Chronicle of Georgia". Georgia was annexed by Russia in 1783. It was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1936 and renamed the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (Georgia SSR). During the Soviet period, Zurab Tsereteli built this monument with Soviet funds. In the early 1990s, due to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Russo-Georgian War, there was a lack of funds, and the monument was never fully completed. Until now, intermittently, work continues on the monument.
Religion
The "Chronicle of Georgia" largely consists of religious aspects. Saint Nino, the enlightener of Georgia, was a woman who preached Christianity in Georgia. The grapevine cross is her symbol. The church next to the "Chronicle of Georgia" is the church commemorating her. She exists in many churches in Georgia such as the Georgian Orthodox Church. Georgians began to believe in Christianity in 337 AD. King Mirian III declared Christianity the state religion that same year. The spread of Christianity made the ancient Georgian characters disappear and replaced them with new characters mixed with Greek orthography and the Syriac alphabet. However, the spread of Christianity boosted the growth of literature and arts.
Tourism
There are large sets of steps on the way to the monument. It is regarded as one of the best overlooks of the city of Tbilisi but gains little tourism due to more popular attractions in the city. However, it does draw citizens in as a place of worship. The surface elevation is situated 650-800 meters above sea level.
Sculptor
Life
Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli was a Georgian-Russian sculptor and architect for large-scale monuments. He was born in Tbilisi on January 4, 1934. He studied at the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts. After graduation, he stayed at the Georgian Academy of Sciences and studied Georgian folk art. Then Tsereteli became the senior master at the Industrial Combine of the USSR's Arts Foundation in Tbilisi. He designed many monuments all over the world. During the same time he was building the "Chronicle of Georgia", his "Friendship Forever" sculpture in Tishinskaya Square in Moscow was under construction. commemorating the friendship between Russia and Georgia. His career is highly controversial since it has been claimed that he was associated with the Russian government.