First Georgian festival in historical Leuville estate closing today with final event
The closing event of the festival at the estate, which housed the Government in exile of Georgia's first democratic republic following the Soviet invasion of the country in 1921, will include performances by Georgian State Academic Song and Dance Ensemble Erisioni, women’s folklore ensemble Ialoni and a play by Tumanishvili Film Actors Theatre. Photo via Culture Ministry
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The first Georgian festival in the historical Leuville estate near Paris, dedicated to Georgian art and culture, is coming to an end on Sunday, with Georgian artists, folklore and choreographic ensembles and theatre actors performing for Georgian emigrants and foreign guests, the Culture Ministry said.
The closing event of the festival at the estate, which housed the Government in exile of Georgia's first democratic republic following the Soviet invasion of the country in 1921, will include performances by Georgian State Academic Song and Dance Ensemble Erisioni, women’s folklore ensemble Ialoni and a play by Tumanishvili Film Actors Theatre.
The festival has been held every weekend from July 29 to August 20, on the initiative of the Georgian Culture Ministry and with the support of the Government. The events planned on August 5 and August 6 were cancelled following the disaster in the western Georgian resort of Shovi, a fatal landslide that killed at least 27.
Georgia’s connection with the estate began in 1921, when the then-chairman of the Government Noe Zhordania, Government members and a handful of representatives and their families boarded the French ship Ernest Renan to escape the Soviet invasion of Georgia in February of that year. Settling in Leuville, about 30 Georgians lived in 15 flats inside the chateau of the estate, facing material hardship over the years.
Photo via Culture Ministry
France officially transferred the ownership of the Leuville estate to Georgia in 2016, after it was officially recognised as a symbolic place for Georgia and a place of historical importance. Georgian authorities announced that the estate would be transformed into a Georgian cultural and educational centre.
The Culture Ministry said the rehabilitation works of the Leuville estate were actively continuing and noted until September 2026, the Leuville Georgian Academy, museum and archive space, as well as library, conference hall and Georgian corner, promoting the country's wine culture, would be organised on the territory.