Orbeliani Palace
History
Origins and usage throughout the times
The original building, which no longer survives, dates back to the 18th century and was a gift of King Teimuraz II of Kakheti to his son-in-law Dimitry, brother of Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani. That earlier building was destroyed and the current one was built in its place at the end of the 19th century.
Orbeliani Palace previously served as home to Elizabeth Orbeliani, a Georgian poet and the country's first woman lecturer. To this day, there is a room in the palace dedicated to her memory and it is used to receive foreign dignitaries.
The last inhabitant of the palace was Grigol Orbeliani. At one point, the building served as the U.S. Embassy in Georgia. In 2013, about 25 million Georgian lari was spent on the renovation of the palace.
Presidential residence
Georgian politician and former French diplomat Salome Zourabichvili announced during her 2018 presidential campaign that she would not work from the Avlabari Presidential Palace if elected. That palace, which was opened in July 2009, was built during the presidency of Mikheil Saakashvili, with whom Zourabichvili had a fallout. Zourabichvili stated that she preferred Orbeliani Palace because it was more understated and that members of the House of Orbeliani and Baratashvili, who once resided there, were her historical ancestors.
After her election, she met with the outgoing President Giorgi Margvelashvili in the Avlabari Palace before moving into the Orbeliani Palace on 18 December 2018.
Interior
- Amra Hall
- Galaktion Hall
- Golden Fleece Hall
- Prometheus Hall
- Rustaveli Hall
- Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani Presidential Cabinet
Gallery
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Orbeliani Palace decorated for Christmas -
President Salome Zourabichvili meeting with foreign ambassadors inside Orbeliani Palace -
President Salome Zourabichvili meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo -
President Salome Zourabichvili addressing the Deaf Association
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