Public mourning reflects ‘orphaned Georgia’ after Patriarch’s death, analyst

Georgian conflict analyst Paata Zakareishvili has said the large crowds seen in recent days reflected a deep national sense of loss following the death of Ilia II.

Speaking about the public response on Tuesday,  Zakareishvili described the turnout as an expression of how deeply citizens valued the late Patriarch, arguing that the mourning went beyond a unified national grief.

“This was not the mourning of a united Georgia, this was the mourning of an orphaned Georgia,” he said.

He added that the Patriarch’s life spanned a period of profound change, from the final years of the Soviet Union through independence, conflict and political instability. 

Zakareishvili noted Ilia II stood out as a calm and balanced figure throughout these challenges.

Zakareishvili, who said he attended Ilia II’s enthronement at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, recalled the Patriarch as a steady presence during times of war, displacement and economic hardship.

“He was the one person who remained calm and balanced through it all, showing by example what a dignified individual should be,” he said.

He argued that the public response to the Patriarch’s death also symbolised a broader farewell - not only to Ilia II himself, but to an era in Georgia’s history.

The Catholicos-Patriarch died on 17 March and was laid to rest on 22 March at Sioni Cathedral.