George Bell’s Reports on Tbilisi in the Pages of L’Illustration, Journal Universel (1868)

Abstract

The writings of Europeans who travelled to Georgia for a various purposes in the 19th century contain comprehensive information about the geography, history, cities, population, trade, agriculture and other issues of the country. Travellers observed the socio-religious composition of the Tbilisi population and noted the significant variety of religious architecture in the city On 5th and 12th September 1868, the weekly French magazine L’Illustration Journal universel published two stories by the French journalist Georges Belle (1824-1889). The stories were entitled “Ten Days in Tbilisi” (Dix jours à Tiflis). The journalist stated in his first letter that his story was based on the memoirs of a young Polish officer who participated in the Caucasian Wars. Both letters contain information regarding Tbilisi, as well as details pertaining to the religion, customs and occupations of the working people residing there. The journalist mentioned two important sights in Tbilisi. One was a mill that was floating on the Mtkvari River. The other was caravans that were arriving from the east and setting up camp on its banks. Some of the most interesting places to visit in Tbilisi were the religious buildings, such as the Tatar Mosque, Metekhi Church and the Monastery of St David. It is noteworthy that Tbilisi was a city in the region where confrontation and violence, which almost always occurred in such close proximity between people of different religions and cultures, were rare. It is evident from the available data that in the 19th century, Tbilisi played a significant multicultural role, as people of different nationalities and religions lived together there. This was a significant characteristic of the city. George Bell’s letters are accompanied by three collages based on paintings by the famous Russian artist and writer Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin (1842-1904). These depict a variety of Tbilisi residents, the clothing characteristic of the crafts and genre scenes depicted. It is noteworthy that the first letter consists of two collages, while the second letter contains a third.