Dadiani Palace, Zugdidi Botanical Garden, where the shroud of the Virgin Mary is kept
Are you going to visit a museum in Georgia, but don't want to spend the whole day? A wonderful place is the Dadiani Palace complex in Zugdidi. Find out in our article the most intriguing facts about the once great palace, what relics are stored there and why this place is a must for tourists to visit. The Madloba directory will make your vacation more exciting!
In the 60s of the XIX century Ekaterina Chavchavadze entrusted the reconstruction of the Dadiani Palace to the German architect Rais. Niko Dadiani built the two-storey palace according to the project of the Russian architect Vasiliev in the 80s of the XIX century. The court church of Our Lady of Vlach was built in the 20s of the XIX century.
The historical and architectural museum "Dadiani Palace Complex", located in the center of the city of Zugdidi, includes two palaces of the rulers of Samegrelo Dadiani, the court church of the Vlach Mother of God and the botanical garden.
This is one of the oldest museums in Georgia. It was founded in 1840 by the ruler of Samegrelo, David Dadiani, who in his residence exhibited archaeological objects found in Archeopolis (Nokalakevi), ethnographic materials, as well as European military equipment and a collection of paintings collected by him. Currently, more than 52 thousand unique samples of national cultural heritage are stored here: gold products of the Bronze Age and the first millennium BC, found near the village of Tagiloni; the oldest Christian shrines — the shroud of the Virgin Mary; items belonging to the mother of Queen Tamara - Queen Bordohan, as well as the kings and rulers of Georgia; manuscripts, miniatures, family heirlooms of the Dadiani family. Among the exhibits of the museum are the personal belongings of Napoleon Bonaparte, who ended up in Zugdidi thanks to her husband Salome Dadiani (daughter of David Dadiani) Prince Ashil Murat (1847-1895), who was the grandson of Napoleon's sister.
The palace is surrounded by a magnificent park. The breakdown of the park began in 1840. David Dadiani entrusted the care of the park to his wife, Ekaterina Chavchavadze. Ekaterina ordered seedlings from the park of the Versailles Palace and Milan, and invited an Italian specialist Joseph Babin to landscape the park. In 1855, the Turks burned the whole of Zugdidi and completely destroyed the park. To restore the park, Ekaterina again invited Italian specialists – the Zaberleti brothers. Currently, only a small part of this once luxurious park remains.
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