Dadiani Palaces History and Architectural Museum ( ka, დადიანების სასახლეთა ისტორიულ-არქიტექტურული მუზეუმი) is a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

national museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...

located in

Zugdidi Zugdidi ( ka, ზუგდიდი; xmf, ზუგდიდი or ზუგიდი) is a city in the western Georgian historical province of Samegrelo (Mingrelia). It is situated in the north-west of that province. The city is located 318 kilom ...

Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti ( Georgian: სამეგრელო-ზემო სვანეთი) is a region (Mkhare) in western Georgia with a population of 308,358 (2021) and a surface of . The region has Zugdidi as its administrative center, ...

region,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. The Dadiani Palaces History and Architecture Museum is considered to be one of the most eminent palaces in Caucasus. It is a

Neo Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

building.Tim Burford

History

The first exhibition, of archaeological excavations of the ancient city of Nakalakevi was prepared by

Megrelian Mingrelian or Megrelian (, ) is a Kartvelian language spoken in Western Georgia (regions of Mingrelia and Abkhazia), primarily by the Mingrelians. The language was also called kolkhuri (Georgian ) in the early 20th century. Mingrelian has his ...

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

David Dadiani David Dadiani ( ka, დავით დადიანი; 23 January 1813 – 30 August 1853), of the House of Dadiani, was Prince of Mingrelia, in western Georgia, from 1846 until his death in 1853. A son of Levan V Dadiani, he became ''de fact ...

and took place in 1840. Three palaces form the modern museum complex, parts of which are also Blachernae Virgin Church and

Zugdidi Botanical Garden Zugdidi Botanical Garden ( ka, ზუგდიდის ბოტანიკური ბაღი), Zugdidi branch of Central Botanical Garden administered by the Georgian Academy of Sciences; was built in the late 19th century by the prince o ...

. The Dadiani Palaces History and Architecture Museum houses some exhibits of natural cultural heritage of Georgia – Tagiloni treasure materials, Mother of God holy vesture, the icon of queen Bordokhan – mother of queen

Tamar of Georgia Tamar the Great ( ka, თამარ მეფე, tr, lit. "King Tamar") ( 1160 – 18 January 1213) reigned as the Queen of Georgia from 1184 to 1213, presiding over the apex of the Georgian Golden Age. A member of the Bagrationi dynasty ...

, manuscripts from 13th – 14th centuries, miniatures, memorial relics of Dadiani dynasty, and objects connected to emperor of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

– brought to the palace by the husband of David Dadiani's daughter, prince

Prince Charles Louise Napoléon Achille Murat (1847-1895) A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

, grandson of Napoleon's sister,

Caroline Bonaparte Carolina Maria Annunziata Bonaparte Murat Macdonald (French: ''Caroline Marie Annonciade Bonaparte''; 25 March 1782 – 18 May 1839), better known as Caroline Bonaparte, was an Imperial French princess; the seventh child and third daughter of Ca ...

. The palace was fully transformed into a museum on May 1, 1921, at the initiative of Georgian ethnographer and geologist

Akaki Chanturia Akaki Chanturia ( ka, აკაკი ჭანტურია, 1881 – 11 May 1949) was a Georgian scientist, archaeologist and ethnographer. Educated primarily in England, where he lived from 1904 to 1920, Chanturia returned to his native Samegr ...

Archaeological collection

In early 1848 the prince of Samegrelo, David Dadiani, used to show his guests the archaeological and numismatic collection from Nokalakevi, an archaeological site in Samegrelo. Some of the exhibits were found by David Dadiani himself, and some were purchased by him from settlers in his domain. The most important archaeological dig by

was the research of Nokalakevi – known as Archeopolis in Antiquity.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Museums established in 1840 1840 in Georgia (country) Museums in Georgia (country) Palaces in Georgia (country) Buildings and structures in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Tourist attractions in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Immovable Cultural Monuments of National Significance of Georgia