Frescoes of century-old Batumi Gothic cathedral set for restoration

An iconic cathedral built a century ago as a Roman Catholic church in Georgia’s seaside city Batumi will see its neglected frescoes regain their original appearance through restoration.

The Cathedral of the Mother of God, located on Baratashvili Street in the Black Sea city, was visited by experts on Monday to study the conditions of its wall paintings.

The group involved professionals from the Cultural Heritage Preservation Agency of the Adjara region and the Centre for Research of Visual Arts Creations.

The cathedral is located on Baratashvili Street in Batumi. Photo: Andrzej Wojtowicz/Flickr.

Their work included documenting and assessing the state of frescoes damaged at the cathedral due to long-term neglect.

Biological analysis of the damage, photo-fixation and monitoring of temperature and humidity for the paintings were part of the preliminary assessment work.

The study was carried out In preparation for the upcoming project for restoring the wall paintings as well as repairing the roof of the century-old church standing out in the Batumi urban landscape.

Decades of neglect have caused damage and deterioration to frescoes of the interior. Photo: Adjara Cultural Heritage Agency press office.

Initially built as a Roman Catholic church between 1898 and 1902, the cathedral was commissioned by Georgian Catholic entrepreneurs the Zubalashvili brothers.

With the commission the brothers fulfilled a wish of their mother Elisabed to see a Roman Catholic church in Batumi before her passing away.

Featuring Gothic Revival design and adorned with stained glass windows, the cathedral was closed following Georgia’s Soviet takeover.

A photograph depicting the blessing of the cathedral at its opening at the beginning of the 20th century.

It was used as a high-voltage laboratory and archive, before a restoration and renovation of its frescoes in the late years of the Soviet Union that heralded changes in the political climate.

The formerly Catholic church venue was transferred to the Georgian Orthodox Church in 1989 and has served as the principal cathedral of its Batumi and Lazeti Eparchy.