National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia: tiling process at Kintsvisi church is illegal
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Monday, August 12
The National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia issued a special statement regarding the tiling process at the central St. Nicholas church of Kintsvisi Monastery complex, a 13th-century building located in the Shida Kartli region. According to them, the process is illegal. As the statement reads, the works were organized by the representatives of the local church.
According to the statement, the works were done in complete disregard of state institutions and proper restoration methodology; it is an incomplete contradiction with the current legislation and principles of monument protection. It also violates general national values and significantly damages cultural heritage.
Many attempts of the agency to prevent the illegal works failed, the agency’s team was denied access by local priests to the monastery complex, making it impossible for them to enforce the law. The process initiated by local church representatives has not been suspended even after public statements by senior officials of the Georgian Patriarchate, which agreed with the agency’s position.
According to the report, the stone floor of the 1970s was replaced by the marble tiles that harshly violates the traditional architecture of the interior, as well as the icons of the 13th century preserved in the church.
Other than the agency, the works were also assessed as illegal by the Council of the Georgian Patriarchate’s Center for Architecture, Art and Restoration. According to the principles of monument protection, the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation requested a further response in writing from the Georgian Patriarchate.
According to Andria Jagmaidze, the Head of the Public Relations Department of the Georgian Patriarchate, the institution was not aware of the ongoing works at the St. Nicholas church. “The Patriarchate was not aware of the ongoing work. It was not arranged, and we found out when the works were already started,” noted Jagmaidze.
The stone floor in the church was changed a few days ago; the works were carried out without the consent of the appropriate authorities. There were no professionals involved in the process, violating the guidelines of cultural heritage preservation.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia, they have not yet started an investigation. As the representatives of the Prosecutor’s Office say, launching an investigation is not in their competence. The Ministry of Internal Affairs says that even if there are signs of a criminal offense in the case, they can only start an investigation if the Cultural Heritage Agency addresses them.
The Kintsvisi complex is a Georgian Orthodox monastery consisting of 3 churches. St Nicholas church, the central church of the complex, and a small chapel next to it, St George church date back to the 13th century. The third, St Mary church dates from the 10-11th centuries but is mostly ruins.
