Ilia Chavchavadze

Writer, “father of the nation”

1837–1907

Leader of the “Tergdaleulebi” generation, Ilia restored public force to the Georgian word: he founded the newspaper Iveria, the Society for Literacy and a nobles' bank, a whole infrastructure of the nation.

He was assassinated at Tsitsamuri in 1907; the Georgian Church canonised him as Ilia the Righteous. His formula “Language, Fatherland, Faith” became the national credo.