Prince Ilia Chavchavadze, known as Saint Ilia the Righteous, (October 27, 1837-August 30, 1907) was a prominent figure of new Georgian literature, famous public benefactor, jurist, leader of the Georgia's National-liberation movement in 1861-1907.

He was born in 1837, in Kvareli (Eastern Georgia). In 1857 he graduated from the 1st Classical Gymnasium of Tbilisi. In 1861 Ilia Chavchavadze graduated from the Faculty of Law of the St. Petersburg University (Russia).

He was the author of many outstanding Georgian literary works ("The Hermit", "The Ghost", "Is a human a man?!", "The Otar's's Widow", "The Robber Kako", etc.) and important journalistic papers. From 1863 Ilia Chavchavadze was founder and editor-in-chief of Georgian public and political periodicals "Sakartvelos Moambe" (1863-1877) and "Iveria" (1877-1905).

In addition to his works described above he was also founder and chairman of many public, cultural and educational organizations ("The Society on the Dissemination of Literacy Among Georgians", "The Bank of the Nobility", "The Dramatic Society", "The Historical-Ethnographical Society of Georgia", etc.). He was also translator of the British literature. His main literary works were translated and published in French, English, German, Polish, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Russian and other languages. From 1906 to 1907 he was a member of the State Council (Gosudarstvennaya Duma) of the Russian Empire. His eclectic interests also led him to be a member of: the Caucasian Committee of the Geographical Society of Russia, the Society of Ethnography and Anthropology of the Moscow University, the Society of Orientalists of Russia, the Anglo-Russian Literary Society (London), etc.

On August 30, 1907 Ilia Chavchavadze was assassinated by Georgian social-democrats; in 1987 he was canonized by the Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church.

See also

• List of Georgians
• History of Georgia

Important publications of the works of Ilia Chavchavadze

• "Georgische Dichter". Translated and compilled by Arthur Leist, Dresden-Leipzig, 1887 (Poems of Ilia Chavchavadze and other Georgian poets, in German)
• "The Hermit" by Prince Ilia Chavchavadze. Translated from the Georgian by Marjory Wardrop, London, 1895

Literature

• Oliver Wardrop. "The Kingdom of Georgia", London, 1888, pp. 150-152
• Baron de Baie. "Au nord de la chaine du Caucase souvenirs d'une mission", Paris, 1899 (in French)
• Baron de Baie. "Tiflis souvenirs d'une mission", Paris, 1900 (in French)
• Arthur Leist. "Das georgische Volk", Dresden, 1903 (in German)
• C.F. Lehman-Haupt. "Reisen und Forschungen", Berlin, 1910, pp. 106-111 (in German)