Reporting Conference dedicated to the ongoing conservation programs for the wall paintings and mosaics of the Gelati Monastery World Heritage Property, held at the Kutaisi International University – 5 April 2025

On 5 April 2025, a dedicated conference was held at Kutaisi International University, organized by the Gelati Rehabilitation Interim Committee under the auspices of the Patriarchate of Georgia. The event focused on two key components of the rehabilitation of the Gelati Monastery World Heritage property: the ongoing conservation programmes of the wall paintings and mosaics.

•    Stephen Rickerby, the British expert and co-leader of the comprehensive wall painting conservation programme at the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, Gelati Monastery, presented a report on the works carried out to date. His presentation encompassed the results of scientific investigations into the condition of the wall paintings, the conservation approaches and methodologies employed, as well as the action plan developed for stabilizing their condition.

•    At the event, Italian expert Prof. Roberto Nardi, Head of the Gelati Mosaics Conservation Programme, presented the significant results of the research conducted by his team. He outlined the methodology applied in the conservation of the mosaics and shared the future action plan designed to safeguard this outstanding masterpiece of Georgian medieval heritage.