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.