Experts Say Defaced Georgian Fresco in Israel Restorable

Fresco of Shota Rustaveli after damage. Photo provided by the Georgian Foreign Ministry

Israeli experts say that the Georgian fresco in the Monastery of the Holly Cross in Jerusalem, which is the only portrait of famed Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli, can be restored. 

News about the damage done to the priceless fresco from the XIII century broke on July 4, when the Georgian Foreign Ministry sent notes of concern to UNESCO, as well as to the Greek and Israeli Foreign Ministries. The Monastery of the Holly Cross is currently under the control of the Greek Orthodox Church.

The Associated Press reported on July 8, quoting John Zelligman of the Israel Antiquities Authority, that the damage can be repaired in a month.

“This will not be a very difficult restoration,” he said. “We have documents and photographs to tell us all the information before we start, so we will not have to do any guesswork,” an Israel Antiquities Authority official told Associated Press.

This is good news for many Georgians, as the fresco of Shota Rustaveli, the author of the Georgian national epic The Knight in the Panther’s Skin, represents an object of cultural pilgrimage for Georgians visiting Israel.

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