FATHER PETRE TATALASHVILI – THE LAST PRIOR OF THE GEORGIAN MONASTERY IN ISTANBUL

Abstract

The residence of the Georgian Catholics in Istanbul, the Monastery of the Virgin Mary (turkish: Gürcü Katolik Kilisesi), with its schools, printing house and rich library used to fulfill a great Georgian cultural, educational and scientific function outside of Georgia for more than a century. The temple was built in 1861 by Father Petre Kharischirashvili in one of the most beautiful districts of Istanbul, Ferikoy (the village of Angels). It is noteworthy, that the most of the fathers serving in the Georgian Monastery of Istanbul were from Samtskhe-Javakheti by origin. Father Petre Tatalashvili was from Samtskhe as well. During the hundred years (1861-1961) of its existence, Georgian Catholic Monastery of Istanbul acted as a spiritual, cultural, educational and scientific center where many national, educational or scientific activities were performed. Establishment of religious educational institution, Georgian-French schools, printing-houses, the literacy dissemination society among Georgians living in Turkey, library called after Akaki Tsereteli are good examples of cultural and educational activities of the Monastery. The Monastery was the educational center giving Georgian young people the opportunity to get education first in Istanbul and then to Europe. It supported many Georgian scientists and public figures, like Ivane Gvaramadze, Mikheil Tamarashvili, Shalva Vardidze, etc. The goal of the article is to describe the work of the father Petre Tatalashvili, one of the valuable figures, a secretary of a monastery and the responsible person for the educational processes, later on the last Prior of the Georgian monastery in Istanbul. Accordingly, it aims to introduce him to a broader society based on the preserved notes kept in family and other funds or archives, which have not been used by the scientists widely. We consider, that he deserves to be known by the Georgian society due to his deeds, as he faithfully served to education and cultural advancement of Georgian people for entire his life, under the foreign sky, in the foreign country. He was the defender, the patron, the spiritual confessor of Georgian Catholics. The research methodology: The research is based on the historical research method: description, comparative-historical method, empirical, causal-historical analysis based on the epistolary and memoir materials preserved in the archive fund of Istanbul Georgian Catholic Monastery