Davit Aleksidze-Meskhishvili ( ka, დავით ალექსის ძე მესხიშვილი), "the Rector" (დავით რექტორი; 1745–1824), was a Georgian pedagogue,

calligrapher Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as " ...

, and rector of the

Telavi Telavi ( ka, თელავი ) is the main city and administrative center of Georgia's eastern province of Kakheti. Its population consists of some 19,629 inhabitants (as of the year 2014). The city is located on the foothills of the Tsiv-Gomb ...

seminary from 1790 to 1801. Davit Aleksidze-Meskhishvili graduated from the seminary in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...

c. 1765, the latter which was founded by catholicos Anton I in 1755. He then served at the court of King

Heraclius II of Georgia Heraclius II ( ka, ერეკლე II), also known as Erekle II and The Little Kakhetian ( ka, პატარა კახი ) (7 November 1720 or 7 October 1721 C. ToumanoffHitchins, KeithHeraclius II. ''Encyclopædia Iranica Online edit ...

as a secretary and closely collaborated with the scholar Gaioz the Rector to promote learning in Tbilisi. After Gaioz's departure to the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

on a diplomatic mission in 1783, Meskhishvili succeeded him as the acting rector (and as the rector in 1790) of the Telavi seminary until the Russian government, now in control of Georgia, closed it in 1801. A polymath, he taught grammar, physics, and ethics at the seminary and compiled several schoolbooks. Further, at the order of Heraclius's son and successor, King George XII, he inspected church schools at

Gareja Gareja (german: Garivorwerk) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Lubsko, within Żary County, Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Lubsko, north-west of Żary, and west of Zielona G� ...

, Sioni, Kashueti,

Mtskheta Mtskheta ( ka, მცხეთა, tr ) is a city in Mtskheta-Mtianeti province of Georgia. It is one of the oldest cities in Georgia as well as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the World. Itis located approximately north of ...

, and

Anchiskhati The Anchiskhati Basilica of St Mary () is the oldest surviving church in Tbilisi, Georgia. It belongs to the Georgian Orthodox Church and dates from the sixth century. History According to the old Georgian annals, the church was built by the Kin ...

. Davit the Rector also copied, collected, and catalogued old Georgian manuscripts, and compiled a bibliography of Georgian writers. He was also a poet of some talent, affected by the influence of his contemporary Georgian poet Besiki, but Davit's best-known poem ''mukhambazi'' (მუხამბაზი) abjures Besiki's aesthetics.

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* {{authority control Calligraphers from Georgia (country) Educators from Georgia (country) Poets from Georgia (country) 1745 births 1824 deaths 18th-century people from Georgia (country) 19th-century people from Georgia (country) Male poets from Georgia (country)