THE ROLE OF GEORGIAN MONASTERY OF ISTANBUL IN GEORGIAN-EUROPEAN RELATIONSHIP
Authors: Tatenashvili Tea , Zazadze Nathalie 
Published: December 2024

The centers of Georgian culture outside of Georgia played an important role in development of Georgian culture. It was through them that Georgia was introduced to the cultural development of the educated countries of that time.
Many cultural and educational centers of Georgia were established abroad, though majority of them has been already disappeared. The only preserved Georgian cultural center is the Georgian Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception of our Lady of Istanbul. Georgian scientific community refers it as Istanbul Georgian Monastery being one of the most distinguished religious, cultural and education centers, the center of Kartvelology. Monastery acted as a bridge for Georgian and European relationship during certain period.
The monastery was built in 1861 by Father Petre Kharischirashvili, in Ferikoy (the Village of Angels), in one of the most beautiful districts of Istanbul.
During the hundred years (1861-1961) of its existence, Georgian Catholic Monastery of Istanbul acted as a spiritual, cultural, educational and scientific center where many national, educational or scientific activities were performed. Establishment of religious educational institution, Georgian-French schools, printing-houses, the literacy dissemination society among Georgians living in Turkey, library called after Akaki Tsereteli are good examples of cultural and educational activities of the Monastery. The Monastery was the educational center which provided Georgian young people an opportunity to get education first in Istanbul and then to Europe. In the schools, students had the opportunity to study literature, history, religion, theology and philosophy. Most of the fathers of the monasterywere polyglots, fluent in French, Italian, German and Latin, so they helped students to learn languages. It supported many Georgian scientists and public figures, like Ivane Gvaramadze, Mikheil Tamarashvili, Shalva Vardidze, Michael Tarkhnishvili etc.
The mentioned treasure of Georgian cultural heritage has survived with support of the fathers serving in the Georgian Monastery of Istanbul, which has not lost its importance and continues its educational and scientific activities with the efforts of the Zazadze family living in Istanbul. The scientists interested in the documents preserved in the Monastery archive have the opportunity to conduct interesting and important research based on the unique material.
Goal of the Article: This article aims to highlight the role of the Georgian Monastery in Istanbul in fostering Georgian-European relations, based on documents from the monastery’s archives that have rarely been explored in academic research. While the historical significance of the monastery has been the subject of many studies, this research specifically examines the activities of the Georgian Monastery in Istanbul during the 1930s and 1940s. During this period, the so-called "Iron Curtain" severely restricted the monastery’s connections with Georgia, which eventually ceased altogether. Tragically, most of the monastery’s priests passed away, and by the early 1960s, only the leader Petre Tatalashvili and church servant Pavle Akobashvili remained alive in monastery.
This study is intended for readers interested in the history of the Georgian Monastery in Istanbul and in the efforts of its abbots to promote Georgian culture and history across Europe. The monastery inIstanbul served as both a pillar and a sanctuary for Georgian émigrés during thisturbulent period.
Research methodology: The research is mainly based on the historical research method: description, comparative-historical method, empirical, causal-historical analysis using the epistolary and memoir materials preserved in the archive fund of the Georgian Catholic Monastery in Istanbul.