Chronicle of Georgia Monument

Extraordinary Soviet-era monument of soaring stone pillars above the Tbilisi Sea

The Chronicle of Georgia is a monumental sculpture complex rising above the Tbilisi Sea reservoir northwest of the city centre. Sixteen stone pillars, each about 35 metres tall, carry carved reliefs depicting Georgian history from early Christianity through the medieval kingdom, each column telling part of the national story in stone. The effect is genuinely awe-inspiring.

Getting there requires a taxi or a drive of about 15–20 minutes from the city centre. The site is unfenced and free to enter. The best view is from the road below, where the full row of pillars is visible against the sky. Up close, the individual reliefs reward examination — faces, battles, saints, and rulers carved in high relief. Go at sunset when the light hits the stone.

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The Chronicle of Georgia was built between 1985 and 2004 by Georgian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, who is better known internationally for his enormous and frequently controversial public monuments in Russia and New York. Unlike most of his other works, which divide opinion sharply, the Chronicle is widely admired — partly because its scale and ambition match the grandeur of its subject, and partly because the carved reliefs show genuine craftsmanship rather than just brute size.

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