Ilia Chavchavadze

On October 27th of 1837 the fourth child was born in the ancestral estate of the prince Grigol Chavchavadze- the boy was given name of Ilia. The years of 1837 and 1907 hold 70 years of the life of a man, the importance of whose activities is inestimable for the history of the Georgian nation and its history.

Ilia spent 11 years of his childhood in Kvareli. At the age of 11 he was taken to Tbilisi where he continued his education. His mother was a highly educated woman who taught him Georgian and got him acquainted with the literary works and history. Before leaving for Tbilisi Ilia was educated by the archdeacon of Kvareli antipascher church.

The four years spent in the university were fully dedicated to the acquisition of deep and substantial studies.

After the two years of his return from Petersburg Ilia met his future spouse Olgha Guramishvili. They fell deeply in love with each other. On April 26 the young couple got married in Trinty Church in Tbilisi.

On the initiative of Ilia Chavchavadze a real estate bank of Georgian nobility was founded which played an enormous part in the development of the Georgian economy.

At his return to Georgia Ilia founded the magazine titled “Sakartvelos Moambe”. During the years Ilia headed multiple magazines and papers issued in Georgia.

Fatherland, language and faith- these were the three sacred words that St. Ilia the Righteous made the slogan for the national liberation movement.

The cross had been erected at the place where Ilia Chavchasvadze was killed. That’s why it is called Georgia’s Golgota.

Ilia is my hero because he loved Georgia very much. He did everything for his country development.