The Patriarchate of Georgia requests the change of the icon displayed in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, depicting Saint Matrona of Moscow blessing Joseph Stalin.
Following the recent controversy surrounding the depiction of the Georgian-born Stalin—a declared atheist who violently suppressed religion throughout the Soviet Union—and the incidents that occurred when an unknown perpetrator threw paint on the image, the Patriarchate of Georgia issued a statement taking a stance.
According to the statement, based on the rules of iconography, “an icon can depict not only the saint but also real stories related to the life of the saint, including rulers and ordinary people, heretics, and persecutors of the Christian faith.”
“However,” it adds, “this does not mean at all that the image glorifies these figures or attributes any dignity to them.”
Regarding the controversial icon, the Patriarchate of Georgia clarifies that, based on the available evidence about the life of Saint Matrona, there is no record of a meeting with Joseph Stalin.
“It is necessary to change the depiction of Saint Matrona with Stalin and take into account other details related to the canonicality of iconography. The donors of the icon are called upon to make the appropriate changes to the image themselves; otherwise, we will do it ourselves.”
The Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia has instructed an investigation into the incident with the icon, as reported by the Georgian news agency Interpress, without providing further details. The icon has been cleared, and the cathedral is being guarded by police.
The nationalist party of Georgia, the “Alliance of Patriots”, which also expresses pro-Russian views, announced that it donated the icon to the cathedral. President Vladimir Putin has been seeking the restoration of Stalin in recent years as part of efforts to support national pride.
A former Georgian parliament member, Giorgi Kandelaki, was the first to draw attention last weekend to the presentation of the icon in the cathedral, condemning it as a politically motivated move to enhance Stalin’s reputation.
“I am outraged because the idea behind this icon is to praise Stalin and portray him in a positive light. He committed the greatest mass murders in history, the creator of the Soviet totalitarian regime,” Kandelaki told Reuters.
The Division among Georgians
Stalin, whose real name was Joseph Dzhugashvili, was born in 1878 in the city of Gori, Georgia, where there is a museum dedicated to his life and work, continuously attracting tourists, although the dictator’s statue in the city square was removed in 2010.
After consolidating his power following the death of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin in 1924, Stalin ruled the Soviet Union with an iron fist until he died in 1953.
While Stalin’s supporters – both in Russia and Georgia – praise him as the man who defeated Nazism in World War II, his critics see a bloodthirsty dictator who sent millions to the Gulag labor camps and presided over the Great Terror of 1936-38, during which, according to historians, up to 1.2 million people lost their lives.
Former parliament member Kandelaki, who now works at the Tbilisi Soviet Past Research Laboratory, a think tank, stated that some Georgians – not just the elderly nostalgic for the Soviet era – believe that Stalin was a secret Christian trying to preserve ancient culture, even when overseeing the systematic persecution of religion.
Thirty years after Georgia gained its independence (from Moscow), Georgian society has not truly clarified its stance on this individual,” stated Kandelaki.
A 2021 poll conducted by the Caucasus Research and Information Center showed that the majority of Georgians believe Stalin was a tyrant responsible for millions of deaths and also a tough leader who brought prosperity to the Soviet Union.
According to the survey, about half of the respondents said that Georgian patriots should be proud of Stalin.
Outside the cathedral, Georgians also appeared divided over Stalin.
“He was a great personality,” said grandmother Mariam Bampunashvili. “He was god-sent, and we need more like him.”
However, 29-year-old Natia Bosler stated that she “had a stroke” from the depiction of Stalin in the religious icon. “Stalin did many wrong things to the people. He destroyed lives, and there is no place for him here,” she said.
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
