Solomon Dodashvili and the Catholic Church in Georgia

Solomon Dodashvili (1805-1836) was the first Georgian to acquire a civilian university education. He graduated from the Faculty of Law and Philosophy at St. Petersburg University, where he developed and published a work entitled ‘Introduction to Philosophy - Logic,’ which received high praise from specialists, and was recognized as a textbook in the Russian Empire. Dodashvili was offered training as a university professor, but chose to return to his homeland, Georgia, to engage in scientific, pedagogical, and journalistic activities. In 1832, he was arrested on charges of participating in a conspiracy against Russian rule, and was exiled to the central Russian province of Vyatka, where he suffered from phthisis and died. Despite only living a five-year creative life there, he managed to leave behind a rich written legacy. While there is abundant scientific literature on the life and work of Solomon Dodashvili, his relationship with the Roman Catholic Church has not yet been extensively studied. Therefore, the introduction of any new material into this field of research should be considered a desirable event. Several pieces of such material are offered to the general public for the first time through this research. Zakaria Chichinadze was the first researcher to dedicate a monographic work to Solomon Dodashvili, in 1893. The work contains a unique report stating that Dodashvili developed close relations with Catholic priests while studying at the theological seminary in Tbilisi, and learned Latin and French with their help. Later, while working as a high school teacher and editor of the magazine ‘Tbilisis Utskebani’ (Tbilisi News), and actively participating in the national liberation movement, Dodashvili became close with Polish immigrants in Georgia, as well as with local Catholics and public figures such as Aleksandre Chikovani and Luka Isarlishvili, who most likely collaborated in his political organization. This organization was characterized by national and religious diversity. It is commonly known that Luka Isarlishvili was a Catholic, but the statement regarding the religion of Aleksandre Chikovani constitutes new and unique information. Solomon Dodashvili‘s name is associated with the first depiction of the activity of the Georgian Catholic Church in the Georgian press.