The National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia is launching the rehabilitation of Svetitskhoveli Cathedral.

The Agency has announced a simplified procurement in two stages, planning to spend a total of 5 million GEL on rehabilitation works.

According to the tender documents, the implementation period of the event is planned for 2026-2027.

“The determination of the 2026-2027 period and the total procurement value of no more than 5,000,000 GEL is not due to the need for a one-time allocation of funds or the immediate assumption of full obligations, but rather to the multi-year, phased, and research-dependent nature of the measures related to Svetitskhoveli Cathedral,” the Agency’s letter attached to the tender documentation states.

Additionally, the tender documents indicate that the planned measures are related to the protection, research, diagnostics, holistic conservation, preparation of project documentation, monitoring, management, and preventive conservation of Svetitskhoveli Cathedral — a cultural heritage monument of national importance inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

“Within the framework of the event, it is planned to conduct a comprehensive study of the cathedral’s physical condition, identification of existing and potential risk factors, historical-archival, architectural, engineering, geological, geotechnical, seismic, climatic, materials science, and other research, as well as the preparation/provision of a holistic conservation document, project and cost estimate documentation, technical assignments, methodological documents, a monitoring system, and data management tools.

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is one of the most important monuments of Georgian cultural heritage, possessing exceptional historical, architectural, artistic, spiritual, and state value. Moreover, the cathedral is inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, which creates a special obligation for the state to ensure the preservation of its authenticity, integrity, and outstanding universal value. The event is of state and public importance, as it is aimed at the long-term protection of a cultural heritage monument of national importance, ensuring an approach consistent with international conservation standards, sustainable management of the monument, and its transmission to future generations,” the information states.

According to the same documentation, the event must be implemented within limited timeframes. This necessity is conditioned by the special status of Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, the urgent need for a comprehensive assessment of its physical condition, and the fact that any subsequent project, conservation, or restoration intervention must necessarily be based on prior research, diagnostics, scientific analysis, and technical assessments.

They also note that prior planning of procurements was impossible due to the objective reason that the process represents a single chain of interrelated and sequential stages.

“Until the phased receipt of the exact results of the preliminary (research) phase, the specifics of the damages, and laboratory conclusions, it is technically and physically impossible to pre-determine the exact scope, specifications, timelines, and financial needs of subsequent project or rehabilitation works and to reflect them in the standard way in the annual procurement plan,” the information states.