Armenian Pantheon of Tbilisi
Encyclopedia
The Armenian Pantheon of Tbilisi also as Khojavank or Khojivank is a historical Armenia
n architectural complex in north-eastern part of Havlabar district of Tbilisi
, Georgia
, consisting of huge memorial cemetery and St. Astvatsatsin church. The church and most part of the cemetery was destroyed in 1937, and remaining part of the cemetery was destroyed in the period of 1995-2004 during Sameba Cathedral
construction. Only tiny part of the remains and gravestones are preserved as Armenian Pantheon of Tbilisi.
Bebut-Bek of Bebutov family
in 1612 by Shah Abbas
by appropriate diploma. His son Aslan Meliq-Bebut, treasurer of Georgian king Rostom of Kartli
enlarged the original cemetery, built pipes for bringing water here, planted a number of trees and in 1655 built St. Astvatsatin church, called Khojivank as a name of the founded, who was called by Georgian king Rostom - Khoja Bebut (Big Bebut). Later the cemetery was called Khojivank too. The building sign preserved and is kept in Historical-Ethnographic Museum of Tbilisi, which says: "In summer of Armenian year
of 1104 with the wish of God I, Khoja Bebut and my brother Khatin and my wife Lali built this church of humble Aslan". St. Astvatsatsin church was dedicated to Saint Purple Mother of God, was circled in fence, had beautiful walls and had a blossoming garden beside.
Later the diploma of Bebutov
s was renewed by Teymuraz II and Irakliy II
.
In 1899 a massive border wall was built around the cemetery, which by that time had immensely enlarged.
The number of graves in the period before destruction reached more than 90,000.
Since Lavrentiy Beria's
1934 famous order the church and cemetery started being destroyed. St. Astvatsatin church with surrounding church buildings was destroyed, all chapels and crypts were crushed together with most of graves, which gravestones and khachkars of rare marble and other stones were used as building material. Special brigades of People's Commissariat for State Security were seeking for precious items around the cemetery. This was done till 1938 and most of the cemetery was destroyed, while only little part of the graves were saved and moved generally to Petropavlovskoe cemetery. The gravestones of Hovhannes Tumanyan
and Raffi were saved. The area was rebuilt as park with primary title "Park of culture and leisure after 26 commissars", but final title was "Friendship", where the walls were mainly built of Armenian gravestones. Also a number of gravestones were used as building materials in Institute of the Party halls (current Georgian parliament) and Lavrentiy Beria's house with address Machabeli 11. The wall bordering School #68 and water tower built in 1961 was also built of those gravestones. Some stones were used as stairway in park on Madaten island.
On 17 March 1962 Armenian pantheon was opened with about 30 gravestones saved, most of which did not have any remains below.
In 1994 Tbilisi Sameba church construction started in the area, which firstly was announced to occupy area beside Khojivank, but the size of the new church was huge and it covered significant part of Khojivank. Most of the remained graves were removed, most gravestones removed. "Grigoriy Dolukhanov (1800-1881)" gravestone was thrown in front of Armenian theater and left for several years. As a response to Armenian protests the construction stopped, but in June 1997 started again.
In 25 December 2002 first church service was held. On 23 November 2004 Sameba church was officially opened.
with great number of epigrams and gravestones with short notes, which could tell much about Armenian population of Tbilisi, families, various heritages and different sides of social life. Among famous epigrams were Sayat-Nova's
wife gravestone epigram, which said "456 (1768 y.). In this grave I am - wife of Sayat-Nova Marmar. Bless". Another example was epigram: "Here I am - wife of Ter-David, Archpriest of Mughni church. Who reads remember. Summer 420 (1732y.)". Grigor Artsruni
gravestone created like a cliff was lost. Ghazaros Aghayan
gravestone with epigram: "Friend of children Ghazaros Aghayan was lost too. Generally some epigrams are preserved due to A. Yeremyan, who rewrote and published in Vienna
epigraphs of Khojivank of 19th century end - 20th century start, and single examples saved in Historical-Ethnographic museum in Tbilisi. As Yeremyan wrote, there were thousands of granite, marble sculptures and stellas, thousands of short and exciting notes, sad poems and quatrains.
Among famous Armenian families buried in Khojivank were
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n architectural complex in north-eastern part of Havlabar district of Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, consisting of huge memorial cemetery and St. Astvatsatsin church. The church and most part of the cemetery was destroyed in 1937, and remaining part of the cemetery was destroyed in the period of 1995-2004 during Sameba Cathedral
Tbilisi Sameba Cathedral
The Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi commonly known as Sameba is the main Cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church located in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Constructed between 1995 and 2004, it is the third-tallest Eastern Orthodox Cathedral in the World...
construction. Only tiny part of the remains and gravestones are preserved as Armenian Pantheon of Tbilisi.
Construction and rise
The area was given to ArmenianArmenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
Bebut-Bek of Bebutov family
Bebutov
Bebutov or Bebutashvili was a Georgian noble family of Armenian ethnicity which played an important role in the economical and social life of the city of Tiflis throughout the 17th and 18th century, and later served in the military of the Russian Empire in the 19th century.The family is known...
in 1612 by Shah Abbas
Abbas I of Persia
Shāh ‘Abbās the Great was Shah of Iran, and generally considered the greatest ruler of the Safavid dynasty. He was the third son of Shah Mohammad....
by appropriate diploma. His son Aslan Meliq-Bebut, treasurer of Georgian king Rostom of Kartli
Rostom of Kartli
Rostom or Rustam Khan was a ruler of Kartli, eastern Georgia, from 1633 until his death. Appointed by a Persian shah as a Wāli of Kartli, he styled himself king of kings and sovereign.- Life :...
enlarged the original cemetery, built pipes for bringing water here, planted a number of trees and in 1655 built St. Astvatsatin church, called Khojivank as a name of the founded, who was called by Georgian king Rostom - Khoja Bebut (Big Bebut). Later the cemetery was called Khojivank too. The building sign preserved and is kept in Historical-Ethnographic Museum of Tbilisi, which says: "In summer of Armenian year
Armenian calendar
The Armenian calendar is the traditional calendar of Armenia. It is a solar calendar based on the same system as the ancient Egyptian model, having an invariant 365-day year with no leap year rule...
of 1104 with the wish of God I, Khoja Bebut and my brother Khatin and my wife Lali built this church of humble Aslan". St. Astvatsatsin church was dedicated to Saint Purple Mother of God, was circled in fence, had beautiful walls and had a blossoming garden beside.
Later the diploma of Bebutov
Bebutov
Bebutov or Bebutashvili was a Georgian noble family of Armenian ethnicity which played an important role in the economical and social life of the city of Tiflis throughout the 17th and 18th century, and later served in the military of the Russian Empire in the 19th century.The family is known...
s was renewed by Teymuraz II and Irakliy II
Erekle II
Erekle II was a Georgian monarch of the Bagrationi Dynasty, reigning as the king of Kakheti from 1744 to 1762, and of Kartli and Kakheti from 1762 until 1798. In the contemporary Persian sources he is referred to as Erekli Khan, while Russians knew him as Irakli...
.
In 1899 a massive border wall was built around the cemetery, which by that time had immensely enlarged.
The number of graves in the period before destruction reached more than 90,000.
Destruction
In 1920s burying in Khojivank was almost ceased.Since Lavrentiy Beria's
Lavrentiy Beria
Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria was a Georgian Soviet politician and state security administrator, chief of the Soviet security and secret police apparatus under Joseph Stalin during World War II, and Deputy Premier in the postwar years ....
1934 famous order the church and cemetery started being destroyed. St. Astvatsatin church with surrounding church buildings was destroyed, all chapels and crypts were crushed together with most of graves, which gravestones and khachkars of rare marble and other stones were used as building material. Special brigades of People's Commissariat for State Security were seeking for precious items around the cemetery. This was done till 1938 and most of the cemetery was destroyed, while only little part of the graves were saved and moved generally to Petropavlovskoe cemetery. The gravestones of Hovhannes Tumanyan
Hovhannes Tumanyan
Hovhannes Tumanyan , is considered to be one of the greatest Armenian poets and writers. His work was mostly written in tragic form, often centering on the harsh lives of villagers in the Lori region.-Biography:...
and Raffi were saved. The area was rebuilt as park with primary title "Park of culture and leisure after 26 commissars", but final title was "Friendship", where the walls were mainly built of Armenian gravestones. Also a number of gravestones were used as building materials in Institute of the Party halls (current Georgian parliament) and Lavrentiy Beria's house with address Machabeli 11. The wall bordering School #68 and water tower built in 1961 was also built of those gravestones. Some stones were used as stairway in park on Madaten island.
On 17 March 1962 Armenian pantheon was opened with about 30 gravestones saved, most of which did not have any remains below.
In 1994 Tbilisi Sameba church construction started in the area, which firstly was announced to occupy area beside Khojivank, but the size of the new church was huge and it covered significant part of Khojivank. Most of the remained graves were removed, most gravestones removed. "Grigoriy Dolukhanov (1800-1881)" gravestone was thrown in front of Armenian theater and left for several years. As a response to Armenian protests the construction stopped, but in June 1997 started again.
In 25 December 2002 first church service was held. On 23 November 2004 Sameba church was officially opened.
Epigrams
Later the cemetery got larger and became the largest Armenian cemetery of TbilisiTbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
with great number of epigrams and gravestones with short notes, which could tell much about Armenian population of Tbilisi, families, various heritages and different sides of social life. Among famous epigrams were Sayat-Nova's
Sayat-Nova
Sayat-Nova Sayat-Nova Sayat-Nova (born as Harutyun Sayatyan , was an Armenian poet, musician and ashik who had compositions in a number of languages. His adopted name Sayat Nova meant "Master of Songs" in Persian.- Biography :...
wife gravestone epigram, which said "456 (1768 y.). In this grave I am - wife of Sayat-Nova Marmar. Bless". Another example was epigram: "Here I am - wife of Ter-David, Archpriest of Mughni church. Who reads remember. Summer 420 (1732y.)". Grigor Artsruni
Grigor Artsruni
Grigor Eremiayi Artsruni was an Armenian journalist, critic, writer and public activist, Doctor of Political Economy and Philosophy...
gravestone created like a cliff was lost. Ghazaros Aghayan
Ghazaros Aghayan
Ghazaros Aghayan was an Armenian writer, educator, folklorist, historian, linguist and public figure....
gravestone with epigram: "Friend of children Ghazaros Aghayan was lost too. Generally some epigrams are preserved due to A. Yeremyan, who rewrote and published in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
epigraphs of Khojivank of 19th century end - 20th century start, and single examples saved in Historical-Ethnographic museum in Tbilisi. As Yeremyan wrote, there were thousands of granite, marble sculptures and stellas, thousands of short and exciting notes, sad poems and quatrains.
Burials
Here are some of the famous Armenians burials:| Name | Date | Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Ghazaros Aghayan Ghazaros Aghayan Ghazaros Aghayan was an Armenian writer, educator, folklorist, historian, linguist and public figure.... |
1840–1911 | Writer, educator, folklorist, historian, linguist and public figure |
| Hakob Aghabab | 1926 | Poet |
| Isahak Alikhanian | 1946 | Actor |
| Grigor Artsruni Grigor Artsruni Grigor Eremiayi Artsruni was an Armenian journalist, critic, writer and public activist, Doctor of Political Economy and Philosophy... |
1845–1892 | "Mshak" newspaper editor |
| Bagrat Ayvazian | 1937 | Writer |
| Ashkharhabek Bebutov Bebutov Bebutov or Bebutashvili was a Georgian noble family of Armenian ethnicity which played an important role in the economical and social life of the city of Tiflis throughout the 17th and 18th century, and later served in the military of the Russian Empire in the 19th century.The family is known... |
Founder of Khojivank | |
| Vasili Bebutov Vasili Bebutov Vasiliy Osipovich Bebutov was a Russian-Armenian general. A descendant of a Georgian-Armenian noble house of Bebutashvili/Bebutov, he was in the military since 1809. Served in the Russo-Turkish War of 1806-1812 and the Patriotic War of 1812. Since 1816 he was Adjutant General of the H. I. M.... |
1791–1858 | General |
| Nikol Duman Nikol Duman Nikol Duman was an Armenian fedayee from Karabakh.... |
1867–1914 | Military leader and member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Armenian Revolutionary Federation The Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian... party |
| Arshak Gafavian Arshak Gafavian Arshak Galfaian better known by his nom de guerre Keri became member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.... (Qeri) |
1916 | Military commander |
| Gevorg Hakhverdian | 1892 | Philologist, doctor, public figure, Sayat-Nova publisher |
| Hakob Hakobian (poet) Hakob Hakobian (poet) Hakob Hakobian was a Soviet Armenian poet, the founder of Armenian proletarian poetry. Communist party member from 1904. Awarded with the titles People's Poet of Armenia and People's Poet of Georgia. He was considered as the "Armenian Maksim Gorky" by the Bolshevik press.Hakobian published his... |
1866–1937 | Poet |
| Naghash Hovnatan | 1722 | Great fresco artist of his time |
| Mkrtun Hovnatanyan | 1846 | |
| Jivani | 1846–1909 | Gusan (composer, singer) |
| Gayane Khachaturian Gayane Khachaturian Gayane Khachaturian was a Georgian-Armenian painter and graphic artist.-Biography:Gayane Khachaturian was born into an Armenian family in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia, and studied art at the Nikoladze Art School. She became seriously involved in the art scene after graduating from the Secondary... |
1942–2009 | Painter |
| Vano Khojabekian | 1875–1922 | Graphic artist |
| Aleksandr Mantashev | 1842–1911 | Oil magnate, 1st Guild merchant and Speaker of the Tiflis Duma |
| Olga Maysuryan | 1861–1931 | Acress |
| Muratsan Muratsan Muratsan December 1, 1854, Shusha - September 12, 1908 , Tbilisi was an Armenian prolific writer, most famously known for his work "Gevorg Marzpetuni" , a historical novel set in Armenia in the 10th century.- Biography :Muratsan was born in the city of Shushi, Artsakh to a... |
1854–1908 | Writer |
| Nar-Dos Nar-Dos Michael Hovhannisyan , known by the pen name Nar-Dos, was an Armenian writer.Nar-Dos was born in a wool seller's family in Tbilisi, Georgia in 1867... |
1867–1933 | Writer |
| Stepanos Nersisyan | 1807–1884 | Painter |
| Isay Pitoev | 1904 | Educator and philanthropist |
| Pertch Proshian Pertch Proshian Pertch Proshian was an Armenian writer.-Biography:Proshian was born in a tailor's family in Ashtarak. The preliminary education has got parishioner of the place in the college , then for short time in the palatial school of Yerevan. In 1856 had finished the Nersisyan School of Tbilisi, where and... |
1837–1909 | Writer and teacher |
| Raffi Raffi (poet) Hakob Melik Hakobian , better known by his pen name Raffi , is a renowned Armenian author born in 1835 in Payajouk, an Armenian village situated in the Salmas province in Persia. He died in 1888 in Tiflis... |
1835–1888 | Novelist and writer |
| Gabriel Sundukyan | 1825–1912 | Writer and playwright, the founder of modern Armenian drama |
| Nikita Shahnazarian | General-Lieutenant in the Russo-Turkish War Russo-Turkish War Russo-Turkish War may refer to one of the following conflicts between Imperial Russia and the Ottoman Empire:*Russo-Turkish War *Russo-Turkish War *Russo-Turkish War *Pruth River Campaign... (1877-78) |
|
| Tserents Tserents Tserents , 1822 - Tiflis, February 1 , 1888) was a prominent Armenian writer.- Biography :Tserents studied at Venice, at the San Lazzaro degli Armeni of the Mekhitarist Order between 1831–1837 and continued his education in Paris . He returned to Constantinople in 1853 and lived for several years... (Hovsep Shishmanyan) |
1822–1888 | Writer |
| Aleksandr Tsaturyan | 1865–1917 | Poet and translator |
| Prince Georgi Tumanov | 1854–1920 | Founder of Georgian theater community and Tiflis College |
| Prince Mikhail Tumanov | 1818–1875 | Famous Georgian poet, first Pushkin translator to Georgian |
| Hovhannes Tumanyan Hovhannes Tumanyan Hovhannes Tumanyan , is considered to be one of the greatest Armenian poets and writers. His work was mostly written in tragic form, often centering on the harsh lives of villagers in the Lori region.-Biography:... |
1869–1923 | Poet and writer |
| Makar Yekmalian | 1856–1905 | Composer, conductor |
| Aleksandr Yeritsian | 1841–1902 | Historian and archeologist |
| Gevorg Yevangulian | 1901 | City mayor |
| Simon Zavarian Simon Zavarian 250px|thumb|Simon ZavarianSimon Zavarian, also known by his nom de guerre Anton , was one of the three founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and part of Armenian national liberation movement, along Kristapor Mikaelian and Stepan Zorian.- Role in the founding of the ARF :Simon Zavarian... |
1866–1913 | One of the founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Armenian Revolutionary Federation The Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian... party |
Among famous Armenian families buried in Khojivank were
- Bebutov familyBebutovBebutov or Bebutashvili was a Georgian noble family of Armenian ethnicity which played an important role in the economical and social life of the city of Tiflis throughout the 17th and 18th century, and later served in the military of the Russian Empire in the 19th century.The family is known...
- Karaganov family
- Sarajev family
- Kalantarov family
- Kuzanov family
- Amirov family
- Sharoev family
- Agajanov family
- Ter-Davidov family
- Beriev family
- Muradov family
- Ter-Ghevondyan family
- Amiragov family
- Pitoev family
- Tarkhanov family
- Tumanov family