ABOUT Sts. Peter & Paul Church

In 1804, the first Catholic church in Tbilisi, St. Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was built by the Capuchins for mainly Georgian and Armenian parishioners. However, due to the increase of foreigners in Tbilisi, including many Poles conscripted into the Russian army and sent to the Caucasus, it became too small to hold Sunday mass. In the mid-19th century, the Catholic community in Georgia was around 30,000, mostly Poles, and around 2,000 Georgians. The plan was to demolish the old church and build a larger one in its place, but it was decided to construct a new, larger church in the Kuki district, near the Kukij cemetery, where the Polish community was large. In 1860, Father Maksymilian Orłowski, the first Roman Catholic visitor of the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, requested permission from the tsarist authorities to build the temple, but it was initially denied. Despite the resistance, on April 21, 1867, the governor Aleksander Barjatyński approved the project due to the presence of many Polish soldiers conscripted into the tsar's army after the January Uprising.

In 1867, the Tbilisi Church Building Committee was formed with the goal of raising funds for the construction of a new Catholic church. The committee was led by Nikolai Przybyl and included donors such as Polish officers, officials, and doctors, as well as Georgian princes, Count Zofia Potocka, and other notable figures. Fundraising was conducted in Tbilisi, throughout the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, Armenia, Poland, and among Poles in the Russian Empire. A separate committee, established earlier to build a Catholic chapel in Yerevan, headed by Paweł Sianożęcki and Faustyna Biały, also donated funds with the condition that they would be returned if the construction of their own chapel was able to proceed. Roughly half of the funds came from Poles, and 47% of the costs were covered by regular contributions from the Brotherhood of St. Rosary at the Parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The significant contributions from Georgian and Armenian Catholics also played a role in the completion of the construction. On May 10, 1870, construction began on a single-nave, neo-Renaissance style church with baroque elements, designed by Albert Salzmann, modeled after a temple in Rome. Fr. Maximilian Orlowski was the organizer of the construction and fundraising.

The church, which was not yet plastered and lacked a dome, pulpit, benches, and other interior furnishings, was consecrated on October 16, 1877. Father Orłowski became the parish priest and worked to improve and furnish the temple. To the extent possible, orders were placed with local businesses that were known for their quality and experience, such as the "T. Werner i S-ka" and "T. Strakacz i Son" workshops for silver products, and the "Malarnia Maryi count. Łubieńska" for paintings. From the 1870s until his death in 1909, Fr. Julian Dobkiewicz was the curate. He was under police supervision after returning from exile and in addition to his pastoral duties in his own parish and the one across the river, he also led a journalistic activity for the Polish community. At the beginning of the 1880s, the number of parishioners was over 2,000 and in the following decades it remained around 2,500 until the wave of departures to reborn Poland in 1918-1921. The highest number of parishioners recorded was 12,500, mostly Polish soldiers in the tsarist army, in 1913. After 1921, the number of faithful dropped to around 300.

Fr. Orłowski served as pastor until his death on February 13, 1891. In the same year, Fr. Józef Baranowski took over, and the area around the church was fenced off by the Dzimszeraszwili family at their own expense. In 1894, a pulpit made of walnut wood was built, decorated with floral motifs and the papal coat of arms, and benches were added. The same year, a 14-voice organ was installed by Jan Śliwiński's "Harmonia" company in Lviv. At the same time, a letter was sent to the tsarist authorities requesting to exempt the organ from customs duties as the "parishioners are mainly soldiers from military units". The request was denied. The organ traveled by rail from Lviv to Odessa, then by ship to Batumi, and again by rail to Tbilisi. Due to financial difficulties, materials of poor quality were used during the construction in 1870-73, which caused cracking of the walls and in 1894 it was decided to repair and strengthen the structure. To raise funds, the authorities of the Warsaw Governorate were asked for permission to raise money but it was rejected in a letter dated July 27, 1894 in Warsaw.

Between 1895 and 1898, efforts were made to reinforce the walls of the church, and in 1898, a dome was added to the structure. In 1906, white marble altars were installed on the sides of the church, created by the Andreoleti company based in Tbilisi. The company also made the mosaic floor that still exists today. The left altar was funded by W. Marska as a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Additionally, in 1910, the church underwent another renovation which included the installation of electric lighting.

With the consecration of the new church, a religious and cultural resurgence began among Polish people in Georgia. The "Dobroczynność" Society, which was the first Polish organization in Tbilisi, was established along with a primary Polish school that had over a hundred students. Theatrical performances in the Polish language were also organized. The number of Catholics in the area was on the rise, with 3,105 souls reported in 1887. All the work done on the church and the construction of the parish house were overseen by the parish priest J. Baranowski. Afterwards, Fr. Michał Antonashwili, a Georgian, took over as the head of the parish and held the position until 1921.