The Story of the Chronicle of Georgia
The Story of the Chronicle of Georgia
I have been working as a tour guide in Georgia since 2016. When I started my career, the Chronicle of Georgia was not nearly as well known as it is today. In fact, it wasn’t even included in our regular Tbilisi city-tour itineraries. At the time, we didn’t think it was particularly important to show tourists, especially because Tbilisi and Georgia have so many other beautiful and historically significant attractions.
But over the years, things changed. The monument gradually became much more popular, and eventually tourists themselves started asking to include it in their Tbilisi tours.
One reason is its location. Although it feels like you are far away from the city, the Chronicle of Georgia is actually within Tbilisi, on Keeni Hill, overlooking the Tbilisi Reservoir.
Of course, it is an impressive place for photographs. The enormous columns create a dramatic setting, and the views over the reservoir and northern part of Tbilisi are beautiful.
But some of my guests are also interested in a more important question:
What is the story behind this monument?
Who created the Chronicle of Georgia?
The Chronicle of Georgia was designed by Zurab Tsereteli, one of the best-known Georgian sculptors of the 20th and 21st centuries.
He is also the creator of the monumental St. George statue in Freedom Square, one of the most recognizable landmarks in central Tbilisi.
Construction of the Chronicle of Georgia began in 1985, during the Soviet period. The project was never fully completed, which is one of the interesting things about the monument today. (Wikipedia)
The monument consists of 16 enormous columns, reaching approximately 30–35 metres in height.
What do the columns represent?
The reliefs on the columns tell stories connected with Georgian history, Christianity and the country’s cultural heritage.
The lower sections contain scenes from the New Testament and the life of Jesus Christ.
The upper sections feature important figures from Georgian history, including kings, queens and national heroes, as well as important cultural figures such as the famous Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli.
The monument also contains representations of important episodes and legends associated with Georgia’s ancient past. One of the most famous is the story of the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece, the ancient Greek myth connected with Colchis, the ancient kingdom in western Georgia.
So, when you walk between these enormous columns, you are essentially walking through a monumental interpretation of Georgian history, from Christianity and medieval rulers to ancient legends.
The symbolic memorial to Georgian rulers
At the centre of the complex there is a symbolic memorial associated with Georgian kings and historical figures who were buried outside Georgia.
Their names are represented at the monument, creating a symbolic connection with Georgians whose lives and deaths were connected to places beyond the country’s modern borders.
The Cross of St. Nino
Near the entrance stands a distinctive grapevine cross associated with St. Nino, the Christian missionary traditionally credited with bringing Christianity to Georgia in the 4th century.
The grapevine cross has become one of the important symbols associated with St. Nino and Georgian Christianity. (Wikipedia)
There is also a small chapel near the monument. It adds another religious element to the complex and complements the Christian imagery represented on the columns.
The view over Tbilisi Reservoir
One of the best features of the Chronicle of Georgia is its location.
From the monument, you have a beautiful view over the Tbilisi Reservoir, a large artificial reservoir in the northern part of the city.
Looking in another direction, you can see the Gldani area, with its extensive residential neighborhoods and many Soviet-era apartment buildings.
I particularly like this contrast: on one side, you have an enormous monument representing Georgian history and Christianity; on the other, you see the everyday city of Tbilisi, including large Soviet-era residential districts.
Why has it become so popular?
When I started working as a guide in 2016, the Chronicle of Georgia was not one of the places tourists regularly asked to visit.
Today, that has changed dramatically.
Social media and travel photography have made the monument much more famous. Many visitors first come because they have seen photographs of its enormous columns. But once they learn what the reliefs represent, they often become much more interested in the history behind the monument.
For me, that is what makes the Chronicle of Georgia worth visiting.
It is not simply a spectacular place for photographs. It is a place where Georgian history, Christianity, ancient mythology, monumental sculpture and the modern city of Tbilisi come together.
And perhaps that is the best way to experience it—not just by looking at the monument, but by understanding the stories carved into its stone and bronze.
Mukhran Guliashvili
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