Didube Church of Mother of the God

Didube Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos dates to the 19th century, although its history reaches much further back, to medieval Tbilisi. The church stands on a site where, presumably, an earlier church associated with the reign of King Tamar once stood.

In the Middle Ages, Didube, which was located on the outskirts of the city, was home to a royal palace. There was also a church here which, according to tradition, was built by King George III, the father of Tamar, on the site of an earlier church. It was in this church that King Tamar and David Soslan were married in 1189.

The only early source referring to this event is a surviving account of King Tamar’s wedding in the work known as “The Histories and Eulogies of the Sovereigns.” It states: “And the nobles of Imereti and Kartli went forth, and brought the queen and her foster-brother, David, chosen by God, and they came to the royal palace of Didube, in the environs of Tbilisi, and there they celebrated the wedding.”

The old church building was damaged and restored numerous times over the centuries. Sources mention damage to the church during the Lezgin invasion of 1760, while in 1795, during Agha Mohammad Khan’s campaign, the church was destroyed. After this, the old church remained in ruins, and the question of its restoration arose again in the 19th century.

Construction of a new church began in the second half of the 19th century. Archpriest Besarion Zedginidze and Priest Petre Imnadze played important roles in the project, while the construction was financially supported by the prominent Georgian patron Giorgi Kartvelishvili. The present church was completed in the 1880s.

The architecture of the church reflects the influence of 19th-century Russian ecclesiastical architecture. Nevertheless, during the construction, Besarion Zedginidze managed to incorporate several Georgian architectural elements into the design.

The beginning of the 20th century proved particularly difficult in the history of the church. During the Soviet period, the church was closed and its original function was changed. A hosiery factory was established in the building, followed later by a bathhouse.

The church was subsequently returned to Orthodox religious life and is an active church today. The Didube Icon of the Mother of God and the church’s wall paintings are of particular interest. According to Georgian ecclesiastical tradition, the icon of the Mother of God is associated with King Tamar. The icon of King Tamar was painted by Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II.

The surviving wall paintings of Didube Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos were created by Aleksandre Bandzeladze. He began painting the church in 1979 and completed the work in the 1980s.