Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tiflis

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The St. Alexander Nevsky Military Cathedral of Tiflis (Georgian: ტფილისის სამხედრო ტაძარი, tp'ilisis samkhedro tadzari; Russian: Тифлисский Александро-Невский военный собор, Tiflisskiy Aleksandro-Nevskiy voyenny sobor) was an Orthodox Christian cathedral in downtown Tiflis (now Tbilisi), Georgia, constructed during the Imperial Russian rule in the 1870s-90s and demolished by the Soviet authorities in 1930.

The Cathedral was erected to commemorate the Russian victory in the Caucasus War against the North Caucasus mountainous peoples and was named after the medieval Russian saint Alexander Nevsky. Designed in a Neo-Byzantine style by the architect D. Grim, the construction of the cathedral was launched on April 16, 1871, in the upper part of Alexander’s Garden in Gunibsky Square (later known as Soborny Square, now part of Rustaveli Avenue). On May 21, 1897, the Cathedral was consecrated by Exarch Vladimir of Georgia.

The Cathedral was administered by the Exarchate of Georgia until 1917 when it passed to the recently reinstated autocephalous Georgian Orthodox Patriarchate. In February 1921, its churchyard became a burial ground for the cadets (Junker (Russia)junkers) of Georgian Military School who fell in the fighting with the Soviet Red Army. In 1930, the Cathedral was demolished by the Soviet government to build the House of Government of the Georgian SSR (now the seat of the Parliament of Georgia) in its place.

[edit] See also

• Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Baku

[edit] References

• (Georgian) Kvirkvelia, Tengiz. ძველთბილისური დასახელებანი (The placenames of Old Tbilisi), p. 28. Tbilisi: Sabchota Sakartvelo, 1985.
• (Russian) Тифлисский Александро-Невский военный собор in: Tsitovich, G. A. Храмы армии и флота (The Army and Fleet Churches), pp. 399-400. Pyatigorsk, 1913.