The Mtatsminda Pantheon: From Griboyedov to Stalin’s Mother — How Collective Memory Works

The Mtatsminda Pantheon: From Griboyedov to Stalin’s Mother — How Collective Memory Works

The Pantheon of Writers and Public Figures is a site that reflects the layered history of Georgia. Since the burial of Russian writer Alexander Griboyedov, many individuals who played significant public roles have been laid to rest here.

With the arrival of the Bolsheviks in Georgia in 1921, the totalitarian regime sought to take control over public memory. The state established the Pantheon — the most prestigious cemetery in the country — as a tool of symbolic power.

As part of our journey through time, we will explore how different layers of collective memory coexist in this single place and what kinds of conflicts arise between them. We will also discuss the presence of Stalinism in modern Georgia and how Georgians relate to their Soviet past.