Georgia has three World Heritage Sites, which are of great importance for the worldwide recognition of Georgian history and culture. However, all three sites are the subject of intense conflicts between state, religious and economic actors and UNESCO. As a result of these conflicts, another 15 sites and regions in Georgia have been on the proposal list for thirteen years now, without any further developments. Many of those responsible in the World Heritage Committee do not consider Georgia a reliable partner and are therefore reluctant to make further grants.

The article series "Georgian Perspectives" provides insights and analyses of contemporary Georgian social life from a geographical viewpoint. This means that all articles examine the social space and the practices taking place within it. This includes both the built space and the non-built space and all communications about places and spaces. It is important to underline that the insights given here must always include views from the outside, as the author is neither a native speaker nor permanently living in Georgia.

The general question is how the architectural and landscape heritage can be integrated into everyday life in Georgia. To this end, according to many on the ground, it must be adapted to the expectations of the people. For they must live in it and benefit from it (see Stadelbauer 2018, p. 77). UNESCO, on the other hand, focuses above all on preserving the authenticity of the respective building and demands a management plan that takes into account not only the object itself but also the space surrounding it. This requirement is usually associated with severe restrictions on the use of the World Heritage site.

Read the articles "Ushguli's World Heritage in danger (Ushguli, village of Chazhashi, Georgia)" and "Towers, mountains, sickles and hammers - different perspectives on the question of what is part of the cultural heritage of a community."

[UNESCO] [e]xpresses its serious concern about irreversible interventions carried out by the State Party as part of the preparations for the Bagrati Cathedral reconstruction project prior to any review or approval of the project and its impact on the Outstanding Universal Value, integrity and authenticity of the property […] [and] [u]rges the State Party to halt immediately all interventions at Bagrati Cathedral, which threaten the Outstanding Universal Value, integrity and authenticity of the property

UNESCO 2010, p. 131

In the case of Bagrati Cathedral, conflicts over structural changes to the church building, which is important for Georgia, led to the cathedral being placed on the list of endangered world culture in 2010, together with the Gelati Monastery. Both had been part of the Bagrati-Gelati World Heritage complex since 1994. After long negotiations, it was agreed that the Gelati Monastery could remain on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites from 2017 on, while Bagrati Cathedral was removed from the list.

Read about the problems surrounding the Bagrati-Gelati complex, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1994, in the article on the Gelati Monastery complex on the website spacesandpractices.com/: "Controversial World Culture - Conflicts over Georgia's Architectural Heritage using the example of the Gelati Monastery complex in Kutaisi."

Different phases of reconstruction and preservation: west façade after restoration in the 1980s, south façade after partial restoration in the 1980s, view of Bagrati Cathedral at the time of the assignment of World Heritage status in 1994

The cathedral was donated at the beginning of the 11th century by Bagrat III (King of Georgia in 1008 – 1114). The church building was severely damaged by Ottoman troops in 1691 and by troops of tsarist Russia in 1770. During the Soviet era, it was preserved in six phases, but never completely rebuilt. In 2001, one year before the 2002 Concordat, Bagrati Cathedral was handed over to the Georgian Church. It was not until the government of Mikheil Saakashvili (2004 – 2013), however, that the reconstruction of church buildings was massively advanced. From 2008 he massively pushed the reconstruction of the Bagrati Cathedral, which he described as a symbol for the unity of Georgia.

The façade of the cathedral is decorated with various plastic ornamental elements such as heads of people, depictions of mythical creatures and other animal motifs; the drawing shows a reconstruction of the appearance of the building without the portal porches of the early 11th century

The Georgian President was clearly pursuing political objectives in this respect. Despite the UNESCO intervention in 2010, the construction work was continued. Two weeks before the parliamentary elections in Georgia, on 16 September 2012 the inauguration ceremony was held by the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church in the presence of Mikheil Saakashvili (see Stadelbauer 2018, p. 53). UNESCO finally declared that the building had been irreversibly destroyed by the use of modern building materials and modern construction techniques. Above all, the use of reinforced concrete in the main dome and the covering of old stone material with new stone blocks was criticised.

Nevertheless, the Bagrati Cathedral is of great importance for the population. Hardly a day goes by in Kutaisi where people do not get married and the Bagrati Cathedral is at least included as a photo motif in the wedding celebrations. 

Basically, the orthodox church acts as a preserving force compared to old church buildings. However, its leaders make it unmistakably clear that this is religious cultural heritage and that in the end the church will decide how to deal with it. So far, it has been able to secure the support of Georgian society because it has succeeded in staging itself as a state-supporting entity with regard to Georgian identity. The Orthodox world view is still a dominant component of Georgian nationalism. However, popular support is waning in the wake of numerous scandals and behaviour during the Covid 19 pandemic that is incomprehensible to many Georgians (see OC Media 2020, Dustin Gilbreath 2020, Dustin Gilbreath & OC Media 2020).

“[T]rust in the Georgian church has been on the decline in recent years. While 75% of Orthodox Christians fully trusted the Church in 2008, only 38% did in 2017. In 2019, the data suggest a similar picture. Although this apparent decline is likely linked to the scandals, making a causal connection is difficult. Numerous factors could lead to declines in trust in the Church from changing values to less interest in religion.” 

Dustin Gilbreath & OC Media 2020

World Heritage sites are political spaces. Using the example of Bagrati Cathedral, UNESCO has intervened strongly and removed the building from the World Heritage List. In doing so, the World Heritage Commission has drawn a clear line to the Georgian state and the Georgian church, a line that continues to have an impact today. No other claim by Georgia has been pursued with a positive outcome to date. And in Ushguli in Svaneti the next comparable drama is currently in the offing.

Read the articles "Ushguli's World Heritage in danger (Ushguli, village of Chazhashi, Georgia)" and "Towers, mountains, sickles and hammers - different perspectives on the question of what is part of the cultural heritage of a community."
Read about the problems surrounding the Bagrati-Gelati complex, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1994, in the article on the Gelati Monastery complex on the website spacesandpractices.com/: "Controversial World Culture - Conflicts over Georgia's Architectural Heritage using the example of the Gelati Monastery complex in Kutaisi."

Text: © Stefan Applis (2020)

Photos: © Stefan Applis (2017, 2019)

Reproductions of illustrations: All illustrations such as maps and historical photographs were taken from the volume ‚The Art of Old Georgia‘, edited by Russudan Mepisashvili and Wachtang Zinzadze; some of the photographs from the same volumen may have been taken by Rolf Schrade, but unfortunately it was not possible to trace them.

References

Dustin Gilbreath (2020): The Slow and Quick Declines in Trust in the Georgian Orthodox Church. CAUCASUS ANALYTICAL DIGEST 116, 13-16. DOI: 10.3929/ethz-b-000428141. https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/cis/center-for-securities-studies/pdfs/CAD116.pdf

Dustin Gilbreath & OC Media (2020): Analysis | Church scandals have hurt trust in the Georgian Orthodox Church. OC Media 3 August 2020. https://oc-media.org/features/analysis-church-scandals-have-hurt-trust-in-the-georgian-orthodox-church/

OC Media (2020). Georgians avoided church over Easter and disapproved of communal spoon, survey finds. OC Media, 23 July 2020.  https://oc-media.org/georgians-avoided-church-over-easter-and-disapproved-of-communal-spoon-survey-finds/

Stadelbauer, J. (2018): Schützen oder nutzen? Konflikte über das Bauerbe in Georgien. In: Osteuropa 68 (7), 47–77.

UNESCO (ed.) (1994): World heritage list – Gelati Monastery. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/710/

UNESCO (ed.) (2010): World Heritage Committee inscribes Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery (Georgia) on List of World Heritage in Danger. https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/637/

UNESCO (ed.) (2017): Gelati Monastery, Georgia, removed from UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger. https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1692/