Lado Asatiani Street and Kalantarov Palace
Why is it significant?
Arrive before the fairytale facade of the Kalantarov Palace on Lado Asatiani Street, one of the most romantic and visually astonishing private residences in Tbilisi.
Key Facts
| Place | Lado Asatiani Street and Kalantarov Palace |
|---|---|
| Address | Lado Asatiani Street 27, 0105 Tbilisi, Georgia |
| Geo Coordinates | 41.68980, 44.80050 |
| Part of Walk | Sololaki: Belle Époque Mansions and Mother of Georgia |
| Generated | Generated |
Arrive before the fairytale facade of the Kalantarov Palace on Lado Asatiani Street, one of the most romantic and visually astonishing private residences in Tbilisi. Built in the early 1900s by prominent merchant and civic leader Mikhail Kalantarov, the mansion was designed by acclaimed Armenian architect Gabriel Ter-Mikelov in an extravagant blend of Venetian Gothic and Moorish Revival styles. Its pointed horseshoe windows, slender marble colonnettes, and delicate stone tracery make the building look like a miniature Venetian palazzo miraculously transported to the Caucasus.
Observe the exquisite stone carvings ornamenting the upper balconies and central projecting bay window. According to a beloved city legend, Kalantarov fell passionately in love with a celebrated Georgian opera singer who declared she would only marry him if he built her a palace worthy of an opera stage. Inside the grand entrance vestibule, visitors can still admire polished marble stairways, hand-painted ceiling frescoes, and a magnificent stained-glass skylight that bathes the interior in shimmering jewel tones.
Beyond this singular masterpiece, Asatiani Street is celebrated throughout the world for its remarkable collection of painted entrance vestibules, or paradnoye. Wealthy merchant patrons competed fiercely to commission elaborate oil-painted murals for their public lobbies, depicting idealized landscapes of the four continents and classical mythological scenes. These restored vestibules represent an extraordinary open-air gallery of turn-of-the-century European and Transcaucasian decorative art.
The intricate architectural detailing of the Kalantarov facade stands as a testament to the boundless ambition, romantic chivalry, and financial wealth of pre-revolutionary Tiflis. Walking past these palatial townhouses, one is immersed in the dazzling cosmopolitan atmosphere of an era when art, love, and architecture were inextricably bound. The palace remains a crown jewel of the Sololaki heritage quarter.
Walk east along Asatiani Street toward the historic stairs leading up to Lower Betlemi Church.