Vakhtang I Gorgasali

King of Iberia, founder of Tbilisi

c. 440–502

Vakhtang I, a 5th-century king of Iberia, fought Persia and strengthened the church; tradition links him to the founding of Tbilisi and the move of the capital from Mtskheta.

His byname Gorgasali («wolf's head») came from his helmet. The Georgian Church venerates him as a saint, and his equestrian statue by Metekhi is a symbol of Tbilisi.