Stalin, Saints, and the Struggle for Georgia’s Soul
An icon featuring the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, Georgia’s most notorious historical figure, appeared in the country’s principal religious site, the monumental Holy Trinity Cathedral in central Tbilisi in early January. Within days it was attacked with paint.
The depiction placed Stalin alongside revered Christian figures. Although the Soviet dictator commanded only a small fraction of the otherwise imposing icon, it provoked indignation among a large part of the population. The painting had been a gift from a pro-Russian political party.
Stalin remains a controversial historical figure in his homeland, not least for the estimated 9m people murdered, or killed by official indifference. He extensively persecuted the Orthodox Church, which created a Society of Militant Atheists and made icon painting a crime.
His imagery still persists in most unusual ways, but this incident at the Holy Trinity Cathedral marked a significant moment in the public display of his iconography.
A plethora of explanations followed. The Gerogian Orthodox Church clarified that the icon primarily depicted St. Matrona of Moscow, a revered 20th-century Russian saint known for her spiritual insights and healing powers. Stalin’s presence in the artwork, the Church explained, merely illustrated a short episode of her momentous life when Stalin allegedly sought her counsel during World War II.
The Church and many of the faithful compared Stalin’s depiction to the icons of St. George that portray the third-century Roman Emperor Diocletian (infamous for his brutality against early Christians), emphasizing that the presence of a negative historical figure does not involve the popularization of a given personality but rather highlights the deeds of portrayed saints.
The Georgian Patriarchate posited that the scandal was deliberately staged to spoil the Orthodox Christmas, a reference to the continuing debate as to whether Georgia should shift the celebration to December 25. The issue flared particularly strongly this year, with verbal confrontations on TV screens and online.
Critics waved away the arguments. They say that Stalin’s portrayal was not negative and that evil figures in icons are shown as defeated, whereas in this particular case, Stalin appears prominent and unchallenged, even dominating the icon.
Nata Peradze, the female activist who vandalized the icon, then faced legal and personal threats from various nationalists, including a pro-Russian group that surrounded her home and threatened to act against her.
Eventually, the Georgian Patriarchate decided to remove Stalin’s depiction. “The donors of the icon are called upon to make the appropriate changes to the image themselves; otherwise, we will do it ourselves,” the statement said.
The incident underscores Georgia’s ongoing struggle with its Soviet past and its aspirations for the future.
Opinions on Stalin remain polarized; some view him as a tyrant and as Hitler’s counterpart, while others describe him as a war hero and empire builder. Indeed, a 2021 survey conducted by the Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC) revealed that nearly 66% of Georgians held positive views of Stalin.
A staggering 41% believed Stalin was a religious person. They point to his wartime decision to restore the Georgian church. In 1943, the Russian Orthodox Church officially recognized the independence of the Georgian Orthodox Church, which had been abrogated in the early 19th century when Russia annexed Georgian kingdoms.
While some Georgians and Russians find common ground in their nostalgia for the Soviet era and shared Orthodox faith, there are concerns that these sentiments are being exploited for political influence, particularly by the Kremlin.
Emphasizing Georgian support for Stalin helps make the case for unity and “brotherhood”, even as Russia continues to occupy 20% of sovereign Georgian territory.
Amid a tense geopolitical situation in the region, Georgia has chosen a cautious stance in its relations with Russia.
Pragmatism does not always impress Moscow, however. For instance, the Kremlin recently revealed its plans to open a new naval base in occupied Abkhazia. Russian troops with its auxiliary regiments made up by separatists continue to harass, abduct, and occasionally even kill Georgian nationals in South Ossetia, another occupied region.
But the heightened sensitivity around the icon also feeds into the tensions inside the country. As crucial parliamentary elections near, events such as the icon display will be used by both the opposition and the ruling party.
Stalin’s ghost still influences Georgian politics more than 70 years after his death. That’s an achievement, of sorts.
Emil Avdaliani is a professor of international relations at the European University in Tbilisi, Georgia, and a scholar of Silk Roads.
Europe’s Edge is CEPA’s online journal covering critical topics on the foreign policy docket across Europe and North America. All opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position or views of the institutions they represent or the Center for European Policy Analysis.
The post Stalin, Saints, and the Struggle for Georgia’s Soul appeared first on CEPA.