First Classical Gymnasium and Shota Rustaveli Monument

Why is it significant?

Arrive before the dignified neoclassical facade of the First Classical Gymnasium of Tbilisi, the oldest and most prestigious secondary educational academy in the South Caucasus.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Arrive before the dignified neoclassical facade of the First Classical Gymnasium of Tbilisi, the oldest and most prestigious secondary educational academy in the South Caucasus. Established in 1802 and housed in this stately columned building designed by architect Leopold Bielfeld in 1838, the gymnasium served as the intellectual forge of modern Georgia. Directly fronting the shaded school courtyard rises the bronze statue of Shota Rustaveli, the immortal twelfth-century poet whose epic The Knight in the Panther's Skin serves as the supreme literary monument of the nation.

Look at the monumental six-column Tuscan portico and triangular pediment that project classical dignity over the wide tree-lined sidewalk. The school alumni roster reads like an encyclopedia of modern Caucasian history and culture. Here studied celebrated public intellectual Ilia Chavchavadze, poet Akaki Tsereteli, painter Lado Gudiashvili, and pioneering neurophysiologist Ivane Beritashvili, whose intellectual contributions shaped the twentieth century.

In the nineteenth century, the gymnasium was celebrated for its extraordinary faculty of European, Georgian, and Armenian scholars who secretly nurtured patriotic sentiment among their students. Young writers printed underground literary journals and translated European philosophical classics into Georgian, igniting the national liberation movement known as Tergdaleulebi. The school stood as a fortress of enlightenment, proving that national identity could be preserved through rigorous academic excellence. Teachers and students alike took immense pride in their institution, which served as an enduring beacon of intellectual freedom and enlightened civil discourse throughout the nineteenth century.

Pausing beneath the Rustaveli monument, one can watch lively students gathering on the steps with books in hand, continuing an educational tradition unbroken for over two centuries. The bronze gaze of Rustaveli seems to bestow a silent blessing on the young scholars who represent Georgia's vibrant future. This historic corner stands as an enduring tribute to the power of humanistic education and literary genius.

Continue north to the expansive open space of First Republic Square.