Great Synagogue (Tbilisi)

The Great Synagogue (დიდი სინაგოგა), also known as the Georgian Synagogue, is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 45-47 Leselidze Street in Tbilisi, in the republic of Georgia.

History
Georgian Jews from Akhaltsikhe migrated to Tbilisi in the late 19th century. A house was converted into a synagogue in 1877, thus the synagogue is also called the “synagogue of the people of Akhaltsikhe”. However, by the late nineteenth century, the building was in a state of disrepair, and in 1899 it was demolished according to a government decree. Subsequently, Georgian Jews built a new synagogue, construction of which began in 1904 and was completed in 1911. The new building was built in an eclectic Moorish Revival and Romanesque Revival style. The synagogue building also includes a mikveh.

Other synagogues in Tbilisi include the Ashkenazi Synagogue (Beit Rachel), in current use; the former Ashkenazi Old (First, Soldiers') Synagogue at 10 Anton Katalikosi Street (10 Gia Abesadze Street), completed in 1918 in the Romanesque Revival style and subsequently used as a theatre; and the domed former Ashkenazi New (Second) Synagogue at 3 Anton Katalikosi Street, completed in 1915, repurposed as a Jewish museum, The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot.