🏛️ Solomon II's Palace in Kutaisi: the residence of the last king of Imereti

👑 Who was Solomon II, the last king of Imereti

Solomon II's name is linked to the palace not because he built it, but because he became the last person to rule from here as king. At birth he was named David, he came from the Bagrationi dynasty and ascended the Imeretian throne in 1789, after the Battle of Matkhoji, where he prevailed over his rival. He received the kingdom while still very young, a realm that had long lived in the shadow of its large neighbours: the Ottoman Empire, Persia and a rising Russia.

Solomon II's reign fell in a time when the independence of the Georgian kingdoms was fading. After the Russian Empire annexed Kartli-Kakheti in the east at the beginning of the 19th century, the turn came for Imereti in the west. For a while the king manoeuvred between Saint Petersburg and Istanbul and acknowledged Russian protection, but this did not help him keep the throne.

⚔️ Revolt and exile

In 1810 the Russian administration removed Solomon II from power and brought troops into Imereti. The king fled south, to Ottoman-controlled Akhaltsikhe, and from there tried to raise a revolt and win back the throne, seeking support from Turkey, Persia and Napoleonic France. He never managed to recover the kingdom and died in exile, in Trabzon, in 1815. With him the history of the independent Kingdom of Imereti came to an end, and its lands became part of the Russian Empire.

Here the fate of the king and the fate of the palace converge on a single date. In that same year, 1810, when Solomon II lost the throne, his residence passed into the treasury of the Russian Empire. From then on the palace began a completely different life, no longer a royal one, which we cover in more detail below.

🏛️ The palace-residence: what kind of place it is

The palace's real name is Okros Chardakhi, which translates roughly as the "Golden Pavilion." This was the name of the residence of the kings of Imereti in Kutaisi: it stood on the right bank of the Rioni, in the very heart of the old town, between today's Rustaveli Bridge and the White Bridge. It was not a single building but a whole fortified complex behind a stone wall with towers.

The residence is far older than Solomon II. The first descriptions were left by foreign travellers: as early as the second half of the 15th century, the Italian Ambrogio Contarini found the palace of an Imeretian king here. Some of the buildings are associated with kings of the 17th century. In its best days the grounds held the court Church of St. George, a large and a small house and a dining hall, while in the centre of the courtyard, under spreading plane trees, stood that very chardakh: a throne under a canopy on four pillars, from which the place took its name.

After that the palace's history took a hard turn. In the 17th century the residence was damaged more than once during military attacks, and by the 1770s it stood abandoned. It was under Solomon II that it was partly restored, but this proved to be the last royal period in its story. After 1810 the palace changed many roles and owners: it served as state property, as the home of the inspector of the local gymnasium, and even as the church of an educational institution.

🧱 What remains of the palace today

Of the large complex, only one structure has survived to our day, the so-called small house. It is a two-story stone building with a distinctive feature: the entire first floor is open with rows of arches. This was done not for beauty but to protect against the floods of the Rioni, so that water could pass freely through the lower tier. The large hall on the second floor was once decorated with paintings of 16th-17th century battle scenes.

The building was noticeably rebuilt in the 19th century, and it acquired its final present-day appearance only in the 1960s, so what stands before you today is more a preserved memory of the residence than genuine royal chambers in their full form. Even so, the monument's status is high: it is a site of national significance, and even as a single surviving house it remains an important point on the map of Georgian history.

🖼️ What is inside: the exhibition and the atmosphere

An honest note up front: at the time this article was prepared the palace is listed as temporarily closed, there are no official tours here, and the building itself is under the care of the Patriarchate. So what is described below refers to the normal mode, when visitors are let in, and it is worth checking the status before your trip.

When the palace is open, the main room for a visitor is the large hall on the upper floor of the small house. You climb up to it by a steep stone staircase from the courtyard side, and it is here that what makes it worth going inside is gathered: objects connected with the Bagrationi dynasty and the era of the Imeretian kings. Among the exhibits are old portraits, icons and church utensils, various historical relics. In essence this is a small memorial exhibition rather than a museum in the usual sense, and it is best taken that way.

The atmosphere of the place is distinctive and rests not on the richness of its decor but on its age and location. Thick stone walls, a rather low second floor with a wooden balcony around the perimeter, many windows and light pouring in, an old plane tree in the courtyard that still remembers royal times. It is also worth keeping in mind that the building was noticeably rebuilt, so do not expect palatial luxury: the value here is historical, not ceremonial. For a traveller it is more of a quiet spot with a view over old Kutaisi and a reason to imagine how the kings' residence looked a couple of centuries ago.

❓ Solomon II, Solomon I or Solomon Dodashvili: do not mix them up

The name Solomon appears more than once in Georgian history, and it is easy to confuse them in a search. So that you understand exactly who this article is about, let us briefly separate three different people.

Solomon II, to whom this material is devoted, is the last king of Imereti, the very one whose name is given to the Okros Chardakhi palace in Kutaisi. Solomon I, or Solomon the Great, ruled Imereti noticeably earlier, in the second half of the 18th century, and is remembered in history above all as a king who fought against the slave trade and strengthened the kingdom. Solomon Dodashvili, on the other hand, was not a king at all: he was a Georgian enlightener, philosopher and publicist of the 19th century, and he has no connection to the Kutaisi palace, although there are monuments to him as well.

In short: the palace in Kutaisi is linked specifically to Solomon II, the last king of Imereti. The other "Solomons" are different historical figures, and it is worth keeping them in mind when searching so as not to wander into the wrong era.

🚶 How to get there and what to know before visiting

The palace is in the Old Town of Kutaisi, on the right bank of the Rioni, between the Rustaveli Bridge and the White Bridge, so the most convenient way to find it is on foot, as part of a walk through the centre. A landmark for the tourist: head down to the embankment near the White Bridge; from there the palace is close, and you also pass other spots of the old town along the way. Nearby is the lower cable car station, which is another handy reference point on the ground.

Before visiting, be sure to check whether the palace is open. According to maps it is listed as temporarily closed, there are no official tours, and the building itself is under the care of the Patriarchate. Sometimes visitors are let in by arrangement or for a donation, but this cannot be guaranteed, so it is not worth crossing the whole city just to get inside. Even if you cannot go in, the palace looks good from the outside, and the best views of it open up from the White Bridge and the cable car.

👀 What to see nearby

The palace's main advantage is that it stands right in the centre of old Kutaisi, where almost all the city's sights are within walking distance. Even if you cannot get inside, the walk around will be a rich one, and it makes sense to fit the palace into it as one of the stops.

First of all, nearby is the White Bridge, pedestrian and famous for the bronze figure of a boy on its railing, and it also offers a good view of the palace itself. A few minutes' walk away stands the Red Bridge, the one around which the legend of a French origin lives on. A little further along the river you will find the Rustaveli Bridge, and above the city, on a hill, you can see Bagrati Cathedral, the main symbol of Kutaisi. For those who want to dig deeper into the theme of the Imeretian kings, there is a thematic continuation too: the region of Imereti as a whole, and another royal residence, the Palace of Queen Darejan in Tbilisi.

🧾 Checklist before your visit

🧡 The main points in brief

The palace that everyone knows as the "Palace of Solomon II" is in fact Okros Chardakhi, the ancient residence of the kings of Imereti. Solomon II became the last to rule from here, and his name stuck to this place for a reason: in 1810 he lost the throne, the palace passed into other hands, and the independent history of Imereti came to an end. Today only the small house remains of the large complex, but even it stays a living point on the map of Georgian history.

If you are in Kutaisi, drop by here during a walk through the old town, without forgetting to check the status in advance, and be sure to walk on, towards the bridges over the Rioni and Bagrati Cathedral. That way the palace turns not into a separate box to tick but into part of the larger story of the city and the kingdom.

🗣️ Now over to you

Have you been to the Palace of Solomon II in Kutaisi? Tell us how it went, and help other travellers plan their visit.

• Did you manage to get inside, and what condition was the palace in?
• What from the exhibition stayed with you the most?
• How did you get there, and from which angle does the palace look best?
• What else in old Kutaisi is worth seeing on the way to the palace?

Share in the comments, we read every story and add your findings to the article. ❤️

Read also

• Fifteen Places in Kutaisi: Sights and Route
• Royal residences of Imereti: Geguti and the palace of Solomon II
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• Kutaisi Museums: A Guide to Museum Collections and House Museums
• Kutaisi Observation Decks: Where to Find the Best Views