Stained glass windows in Tbilisi, Georgia

A feature of the architecture in Tbilisi, Georgia is the art of stained glassed windows inchurches, synagogues, hotels and houses.

The Z.Paliashvili Opera and Ballet Theatre on the main street, Rustaveli Avenue, is currently undergoing renovation to bring back the glory of its arches, pillars, and stained glass windows, especially those in the street entrance. The synagogue in Tbilisi has intricately designed stained-glass windows and the side windows of Saint Peter and Paul catholic church located in Ivane Javakhishvili Street are stained glass.

The Sioni Cafe and Bakery are part of the Tbilisi Seminary and Spiritual Academy affiliated with the Sioni Cathedral. The Sioni Cafe is situated above the bakery in a small park on Leselidze Street. The cafe has stained glass windows. In the Old City, the Hotel Ambassor, by the river, features stain glassed windows in their bathrooms.

Stained glass is a unique and remarkable art form that it thought to date back to 500AD. However, much of the stained glass is in the Art Nouveau style established in Europe in the 19th century. In Georgia, Art Nouveau buildings were constructed mainly in the capital, Tbilisi, but also in port towns (as the glass was shipped into Georgia via the Black Sea). The Georgian Art Museum has a collection of old photographs that show apartments, houses, cinemas, tobacco shops, the maternity hospital, banks and colleges decorated with fine stained glass windows. The glass images range from geometric shapes, flowers, women, and monsters (most of which are dragons).

Comments

2016 update on Rike Park, Tbilisi: from construction to busy park

From a flat patch of uninteresting dirt, Rike Park in Tbilisi, Georgia, has transformed in four years (from 2014-2016) into a busy park full of trees, flower beds, sculptures, fountains, and events. Rike (Rikhe) Park is on the left bank of the Mt’k’vari River (the Kura River) near the Old City of Tbilisi. The Peace Bridge links the right bank to Rike Park. Rike Park is below the hillside Presidential Palace and, via cable car, it is the starting point for the ride to Sololaki Ridge (with the Narikala Fortress and the Mother of Georgia statue). The glass box-shaped cable car terminus was opened on 23 June 2012, and since then the park has continually developed into a ‘people’s park’ where people can walk around, eat at the nearby restaurants, sit next to the statue of American president Ronald Reagan, climb the steps to Avlabari district, and access the sights of Meidan Square, the Peace Bridge, the Metekhi Church, the Old City, the waterfall, the sulphur baths, and t...

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog