𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗸𝗵𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗸𝗵𝗶

By Jonathan J. Kalmakoff
Metekhi (Russian: Храм Метехи; Georgian: მეტეხის ღვთისმშობლის შობის ტაძარი) was a
church, monastery and military fortification located in the city of Tiflis (Tbilisi) in Georgia.
It was first built as a church by the Georgian King Vakhtang I Gorgasali in the 5th century. It
was destroyed in 1235 during the invasion of the Mongols, and rebuilt some time between 1278
and 1289, under the reign of the Georgian King Demetrius II. During the reign of Vakhtang V, in
1658, the church became a storage for gunpowder, but was abandoned to the Turks in the same
century.
The fortress together with the church were retaken from Turks by the Georgian King Erekle II in
1748. The church burned down during the Persian devastation of the city in 1795. The church
was restored by the Russian Tsar George XIII. In 1816-1819, under Russian rule, the fortress
walls around the church were destroyed, and prison buildings were erected on the vacated site.
The infamous prison was only closed in 1938.
In July 1887, five Doukhobor elders – Dmitry Vasil’evich Lezhebokov, Ivan Fade’evich
Makhortov, Nikolai Nikola’evich Tsibul’kin, Fyodor Semenovich Rybin and Ignaty Ignat’evich
Argatov – were arrested in the Akhalkalaki district of Tiflis province and incarcerated at Metekhi
prison for inciting ‘civil unrest’. They were, in fact, supporters of Peter Vasil’evich Verigin’s
leadership, which caused a split among the Doukhobors of that district. They had been arrested at
the instigation of their opponents.
In August 1887, the Doukhobor elders were joined by Verigin himself, who was arrested in
Elisavetpol for inciting ‘disturbances of the public peace’ due to his leadership bid and sent to
Metekhi. There, in a dark, squalid cell, he composed the classic Doukhobor hymn, ‘Kak
Schastliv Tot’ (How Fortunate is He…).
By September 1887, Verigin and the Doukhobor elders – as the principal leaders of the
Doukhobor ‘Large Party’ – were sentenced to administrative exile for an initial period of five
years (Verigin’s exile was ultimately extended to 16 years). Verigin was resettled to the town of
Shenkursk in Arkhangl’sk province, while the other ringleaders were sent to Olonets province,
both in Northern Russia.
Nine years later, in January 1896, 57 Doukhobors from the Kars region were transferred in
chains and manacles from the Kars Fortress to Metekhi Prison. These included 45 Doukhobor
men in the army reserve who turned in their reservist papers in 1895 and refused to perform
military service of any kind, and 12 Doukhobor village elders who incited them to do so.
Conditions at Metekhi were squalid and inhumane and many were sickened by disease and
malnutrition; others were tortured and mistreated. The first to perish was the reservist Danilo
Terent’evich Barabanov, who died of rapid consumption. He was buried in the prison grounds by
his brethren, and on the tombstone the following epigraph was engraved: ‘Eternal Memory to the
Christian D.T.B. who by God’s will died in chains for the truth.’ He was soon followed by the
reservist Vasily Ivanovich Dorofeev, and by the elder Grigory Alekseevich Dorofeev.
Other Doukhobors were not permitted to see the prisoners. Although their relatives crossed the
mountain ridges from Kars to visit the prisoners, to say to them a word of comfort, and perhaps
to part with them for life, they were driven away from the prison by the guards. Others, including
members of the Molokan sect living in Tiflis, also endeavored to gather food and money for the
unfortunate prisoners.
After over a year and a half of languishing in Metekhi, in June 1897, the reservists were exiled to
Baku district and province, where they were distributed, two men per Azeri village, and left to
fend for themselves without the right to leave their places of exile to find work or sustenance.
They were eventually released in 1899 and journeyed to Canada.
As for the Doukhobor elders, in August 1897, they were sentenced to exile in the Yakutsk
district of distant Siberia for an administrative term of 18 years. They were later granted amnesty
and allowed to journey to Canada in 1905.
In June 2023, CBC photojournalist and Doukhobor Corinne Seminoff visited the Metekhi church
and former fortress while visiting Tbilisi on assignment. The following spectacular 14
photographs taken by her depict the church and prison grounds as they appear today.

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𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗸𝗵𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗸𝗵𝗶
By Jonathan J. Kalmakoff
Metekhi (Russian: Храм Метехи; Georgian: მეტეხის ღვთისმშობლის შობის ტაძარი) was a
church, monastery and military fortification located in the city of Tiflis (Tbilisi) in Georgia.
It was first built as a church by the Georgian King Vakhtang I Gorgasali in the 5th century. It
was destroyed in 1235 during the invasion of the Mongols, and rebuilt some time between 1278
and 1289, under the reign of the Georgian King Demetrius II. During the reign of Vakhtang V, in
1658, the church became a storage for gunpowder, but was abandoned to the Turks in the same
century.
The fortress together with the church were retaken from Turks by the Georgian King Erekle II in
1748. The church burned down during the Persian devastation of the city in 1795. The church
was restored by the Russian Tsar George XIII. In 1816-1819, under Russian rule, the fortress
walls around the church were destroyed, and prison buildings were erected on the vacated site.
The infamous prison was only closed in 1938.
In July 1887, five Doukhobor elders – Dmitry Vasil’evich Lezhebokov, Ivan Fade’evich
Makhortov, Nikolai Nikola’evich Tsibul’kin, Fyodor Semenovich Rybin and Ignaty Ignat’evich
Argatov – were arrested in the Akhalkalaki district of Tiflis province and incarcerated at Metekhi
prison for inciting ‘civil unrest’. They were, in fact, supporters of Peter Vasil’evich Verigin’s
leadership, which caused a split among the Doukhobors of that district. They had been arrested at
the instigation of their opponents.
In August 1887, the Doukhobor elders were joined by Verigin himself, who was arrested in
Elisavetpol for inciting ‘disturbances of the public peace’ due to his leadership bid and sent to
Metekhi. There, in a dark, squalid cell, he composed the classic Doukhobor hymn, ‘Kak
Schastliv Tot’ (How Fortunate is He…).
By September 1887, Verigin and the Doukhobor elders – as the principal leaders of the
Doukhobor ‘Large Party’ – were sentenced to administrative exile for an initial period of five
years (Verigin’s exile was ultimately extended to 16 years). Verigin was resettled to the town of
Shenkursk in Arkhangl’sk province, while the other ringleaders were sent to Olonets province,
both in Northern Russia.
Nine years later, in January 1896, 57 Doukhobors from the Kars region were transferred in
chains and manacles from the Kars Fortress to Metekhi Prison. These included 45 Doukhobor
men in the army reserve who turned in their reservist papers in 1895 and refused to perform
military service of any kind, and 12 Doukhobor village elders who incited them to do so.
Conditions at Metekhi were squalid and inhumane and many were sickened by disease and
malnutrition; others were tortured and mistreated. The first to perish was the reservist Danilo
Terent’evich Barabanov, who died of rapid consumption. He was buried in the prison grounds by
his brethren, and on the tombstone the following epigraph was engraved: ‘Eternal Memory to the
Christian D.T.B. who by God’s will died in chains for the truth.’ He was soon followed by the
reservist Vasily Ivanovich Dorofeev, and by the elder Grigory Alekseevich Dorofeev.
Other Doukhobors were not permitted to see the prisoners. Although their relatives crossed the
mountain ridges from Kars to visit the prisoners, to say to them a word of comfort, and perhaps
to part with them for life, they were driven away from the prison by the guards. Others, including
members of the Molokan sect living in Tiflis, also endeavored to gather food and money for the
unfortunate prisoners.
After over a year and a half of languishing in Metekhi, in June 1897, the reservists were exiled to
Baku district and province, where they were distributed, two men per Azeri village, and left to
fend for themselves without the right to leave their places of exile to find work or sustenance.
They were eventually released in 1899 and journeyed to Canada.
As for the Doukhobor elders, in August 1897, they were sentenced to exile in the Yakutsk
district of distant Siberia for an administrative term of 18 years. They were later granted amnesty
and allowed to journey to Canada in 1905.
In June 2023, CBC photojournalist and Doukhobor Corinne Seminoff visited the Metekhi church
and former fortress while visiting Tbilisi on assignment. The following spectacular 14
photographs taken by her depict the church and prison grounds as they appear today.
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