On February 9, 2023, the joint mission report of the World Heritage Centre (WHC), ICOMOS, and ICCROM concerning the Gelati Monastery was published on the website of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth. The report was prepared by experts from these three organizations—Irena Kakė, Alkiviadis Prepis, and Valerie Magar—based on their visit to Georgia from November 28 to December 2, 2022.
Unfortunately, the primary findings, conclusions, and recommendations of this report were misinterpreted by the Ministry in its accompanying text. Consequently, individuals unfamiliar with the matter might get the impression that the content of the joint mission’s report fundamentally differs from the report published on January 27, 2023, by the George Chubinashvili National Research Centre.
It must be emphasized that the critical observations and recommendations expressed in the joint mission’s report on such fundamental issues as project management, the decision-making process, a strategic vision for the problem, the installation of the temporary roof, and the conservation methodology for the wall paintings, essentially align with the main tenets of the Chubinashvili Centre’s report. They also concur with the conclusions of ICOMOS Georgia, Stephen Rickerby, and Lisa Shekede, as well as the experts invited by the Patriarchate of Georgia (Austin Nevin, Lorinda Wong, Francesca Pique, and Sarah Staniforth).
To clearly illustrate the statements above, below are excerpts from the two mentioned reports regarding specific individual issues. The comparative text can be found below:
Information Regarding the Conclusions on Gelati
On February 9, 2023, the joint mission report of the World Heritage Centre (WHC), ICOMOS, and ICCROM concerning the Gelati Monastery was published on the website of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth. The report was prepared by experts from these three organizations—Irena Kakė, Alkiviadis Prepis, and Valerie Magar—based on their visit to Georgia from November 28 to December 2, 2022.
Unfortunately, the primary findings, conclusions, and recommendations of this report were misinterpreted by the Ministry in its accompanying text. Consequently, individuals unfamiliar with the matter might get the impression that the content of the joint mission’s report fundamentally differs from the report published on January 27, 2023, by the George Chubinashvili National Research Centre.
It must be emphasized that the critical observations and recommendations expressed in the joint mission’s report on such fundamental issues as project management, the decision-making process, a strategic vision for the problem, the installation of the temporary roof, and the conservation methodology for the wall paintings, essentially align with the main tenets of the Chubinashvili Centre’s report. They also concur with the conclusions of ICOMOS Georgia, Stephen Rickerby, and Lisa Shekede, as well as the experts invited by the Patriarchate of Georgia (Austin Nevin, Lorinda Wong, Francesca Pique, and Sarah Staniforth).
To clearly illustrate the statements above, below are excerpts from the two mentioned reports regarding specific individual issues. The comparative text can be found below:
Report of Comparison.pdf