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Ilia Chavchavadze

Born

in Kvareli, Georgia Governorate, Russian Empire

November 08, 1837

Died

September 12, 1907

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction

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Ilia Chavchavadze (Georgian: ილია ჭავჭავაძე; 8 November 1837 – 12 September 1907) was a Georgian writer, poet, journalist, lawyer, politicial and public figure who spearheaded the revival of the Georgian national movement in the second half of the 19th century, during the Russian rule of Georgia. Today he is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of modern Georgia. In 1987 he was canonized as Saint Ilia the Righteous (წმინდა ილია მართალი) by the Georgian Orthodox Church. Today, Georgians revere Chavchavadze as Pater Patriae (Father of the Fatherland) of Georgia.
Inspired by the contemporary liberal movements in Europe, as a writer and a public figure, Ilia Chavchavadze directed much of his efforts toward awakening national ideals in Ilia Chavchavadze (Georgian: ილია ჭავჭავაძე; 8 November 1837 – 12 September 1907) was a Georgian writer, poet, journalist, lawyer, politicial and public figure who spearheaded the revival of the Georgian national movement in the second half of the 19th century, during the Russian rule of Georgia. Today he is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of modern Georgia. In 1987 he was canonized as Saint Ilia the Righteous (წმინდა ილია მართალი) by the Georgian Orthodox Church. Today, Georgians revere Chavchavadze as Pater Patriae (Father of the Fatherland) of Georgia.
Inspired by the contemporary liberal movements in Europe, as a writer and a public figure, Ilia Chavchavadze directed much of his efforts toward awakening national ideals in Georgians and to the creation of a stable society in his homeland.
His most important literary works were: The Hermit, The Ghost, Otaraant Widow, Kako The Robber and Is a man a human?!. He was editor-in-chief of the Georgian periodicals Sakartvelos Moambe (1863–1877) and Iveria (1877–1905), and authored numerous articles for journals. Most of his work dealt with Georgia and Georgians. He was a devoted protector of the Georgian language and culture from Russification.
Chavchavadze was fatally wounded by a gang of assassins, led by Gigla Berbichashvili, in Tsitsamuri, outside Mtskheta. His legacy earned him theIlia Chavchavadze was born in Kvareli, a village located in the Alazani Valley, in the Kakheti province of Georgia, which was part of the Russian Empire at that time. Ilia was a tavadi, the Georgian title of prince. It is thought that the noble Chavchavadze family came from the Pshav-Khevsureti region of Georgia, and, in 1726, King Constantine II granted the Chavchavadze family the rank of Prince in recognition of their knighthood and valor to the nation. This resulted in the family moving and settling in the Alazani Gorge in Kakheti. According to King Erekle II's order, Ilia's great grandfather, Bespaz Chavchavadze was knighted when he defeated twenty thousand Persian invaders in Kvareli in 1755.
Ilia was the third son of Grigol Chavchavadze and Mariam Beburishvili. Grigol, like his father and his famous ancestors, had a military background. He, along with the local militiamen protected the village from numerous Dagestani invasions. This can be seen in the architecture of the Ilia Chavchavadze museum house in Kvareli, incorporating a Medieval castle style in the two-storey castle in the yard, which was designed to protect the house during invasions.
Ilia's mother, Mariam, died on May 4, 1848, when Ilia was ten years old, and his father asked his sister, Makrine, to help bring up the children. Aunt Makrine had a significant impact on Ilia's life, because, after 1852, when Ilia's father Grigol died, she was the only remaining caretaker of the family.
Ilia Ch'avch'avadze in 1st Gymnasium of Tbilisi, 1848
Ch'avch'avadze was educated at the elementary level by the deacon of the village before he moved to Tbilisi where he attended the prestigious Academy for Nobility in 1848. However, from an early age, Ilia was influenced by his parents who were highly educated in classical literature, Georgian history and poetry. From his parents, Ilia learned the inspiring stories of Georgian heroism in classical historical novels. In his autobiography, Ilia refers to his mother, Princess Mariam Chavchavadze, who knew most Georgian novels and poems by heart and encouraged her children to study them. Ilia also described the influence of the deacon's storytelling, which gave him an artistic inspiration, later applied in his novel writing.
In 1848, after the death of Princess Chavchavadze, Ilia was sent to Tbilisi by his father to begin his secondary education. Ilia attended a private school for three years before he entered the 1st Academy of Tbilisi in 1851. Soon after, Ilia's father died and Aunt Makrine looked after the family. ...more

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Ilia Chavchavadze’s books

Average rating: 4.33 · 6,786 ratings · 188 reviews · 32 distinct works • Similar authors

	კაცია-ადამიანი?! 4.43 avg rating — 2,128 ratings — published 1863 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	ოთარაანთ ქვრივი 4.36 avg rating — 1,960 ratings — published 1887 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	მგზავრის წერილები 4.28 avg rating — 1,504 ratings — published 1861 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	გლახის ნაამბობი 4.25 avg rating — 353 ratings — published 1873 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	განდეგილი 4.29 avg rating — 299 ratings — published 1883	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	აჩრდილი 3.96 avg rating — 303 ratings — published 1872	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	ყველა დროის 20 საუკეთესო ქართული მოთხრობა by Ilia Chavchavadze, Alexander Kazbegi, Revaz Inanishvili 4.31 avg rating — 59 ratings — published 2008	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	მოთხრობები 4.47 avg rating — 30 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	პუბლიცისტიკა 4.18 avg rating — 28 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	ნიკოლოზ გოსტაშაბიშვილი really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 27 ratings — published 1880	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Series by Ilia Chavchavadze

თანავარსკვლავედი (1 book)
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Ilia Chavchavadze

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Quotes by Ilia Chavchavadze (?)

“ადამიანის უძვირფასესი საუნჯე მისი ვინაობაა.”
― ილია ჭავჭავაძე/Ilia Chavchavadze

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“არც უწიგნობა ვარგა და არც მარტო წიგნებიდან გამოხედვა.”
― Ilia Chavchavadze, ოთარაანთ ქვრივი

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“ჭეშმარიტი კონსერვატორობა ესარჩლება და იცავს მარტო იმისთანა ძველს, რომელიც, მისის გულწრფელის აზრით, ჯერ კიდევ გამოსადეგია და საჭირო ცხოვრებისათვის, და თუ ხანდისხან სცოდავს რაშიმე ქვეყანას, მარტო იმაში, რომ ზოგჯერ იმისთანა ძველსაც გადეფარება, რომელიც თუმცა გამოსადეგი აღარ არის, მაგრამ უვნებელია, და ძველის ადგილს არ უთმობს ახალსა - მინამ კარგად გულს არ დააჯერებს, რომ ახალი კეთილს მოიტანს. ჭეშმარიტი ლიბერალობაც უარჰყოფს მარტო იმისთანა ძველს, რომელსაც თავისი დრო და ჟამი მოუჭამია, რომელიც დღეს ხარიხად გასდებია ცხოვრებას და წინსვლას უშლის. იგი ნდომობს იმ ძველის მაგიერ იმისთანა ახალს, რომელიც ძველზედ უკეთ ხელს მოუმართავს ცხოვრების განკარგებასა და წარმატებას. საცა ბრალმდებელია იქ დამცველიც უნდა იყოს. მარტო ამ ორკეცად გასინჯულ საქმეს მოსდევს მართალი და ჭეშმარიტი. კაცობრიობას დღესაქამომდე სხვა გზა არ აღმოუჩენია ჭეშმარიტის და მართლის მოსაპოებლად. [შინაური მიმოხილვა, 1881 წელი, მაისი]”
― Ilia Chavchavadze

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