Repressions of Clergy in Georgia During the Soviet Period

(According to the Data of Central and Local Archives)

Abstract

The issue of repression of clergy is one of the unexplored areas not only in the scientific literature of Georgia, but also of post-Soviet countries. After the annexation of Georgia (1921), as in the entire Sov­iet Union, the “Red Terror” and atheistic religious policy against all rel­igious institutions operating at that time began to be actively im­p­lemented here: hundreds of religious buildings and religious sch­ools were closed. Anti-Soviet and counter-revolutionary agitation-pro­paganda and other accusations were used as the basis for the per­secution of clergy. As a result of anonymous eavesdropping, fabri­cated accusations, and slander, they were arrested, shot, or exiled to con­cen­tration camps, etc.

In order to cover this issue, a group of researchers from the State Agency for Religious Issues implemented the project of the 2022 State Scientific Grant Competition for Fundamental Research - NFR-22-21090 funded by the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia, “Repressions on Religious Grounds in Soviet Georgia (Acc­or­ding to the Data of the MIA Archive), as a result of which the publ­ic­ation was issued (“Religious Repressions in Soviet Georgia”, State Age­ncy for Religious Issues, Tbilisi, 2025:752).

In addition to arrest, execution, or exile, the Soviet government used other methods to repress clergy - deprivation of the right to vote - not only for clergy, but also for their family members, intimidation, coercion (refusal of religious vows), humiliation, fines for religious activities, confiscation of personal property, harassment of family me­mbers, etc.

Taking these circumstances into account, research has con­tin­ued, and at the initiative of the State Agency for Religious Iss­ues, a new, second project is already underway - FR-23-13674, "Repre­ssions of Clergy in Georgia During the Soviet Period (According to the Data of Central and Local Archives)", which is also funded by the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia, within the fram­ework of the 2024 State Scientific Grant Competition for Fun­damental Research.

In this regard, the coverage of the research based on data from the central and local archives of Georgia conducted by a group of researchers on religious repressions and repressed clergy in Soviet Georgia (1921-1991) is particularly interesting. At this stage, the Kut­aisi Central Archive, the Adjara Archival Department, the regional archives of Kakheti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Guria, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Kve­mo Kartli, Samegrelo, and the local archives of Gori, Khashuri, Kaspi, Zestaponi, and Poti have been fully processed. Research work is underway at the Tbilisi Central Archive of the National Archives of Georgia. The obtained materials already allow establishing a general picture and drawing certain conclusions of the repressions against clergy in Soviet Georgia.

The following group of researchers participate in the current project: Abesalom Aslanidze (Principal Investigator), Giorgi Patashuri (Project Coordinator), Zviad Tkabladze, Zaza Vashakmadze, Sergo Par­ulava, Davit Davitashvili, and invited researcher Merab Kezevadze.