Khoni ( ka, ხონი ) is a town in the Western Georgian region (

mkhare A ''mkhare'' ( ka, მხარე, ''mxare'') is a type of administrative division in the country of Georgia (country), Georgia. It is usually translated into English as "region". According to presidential decrees issued in 1994 and 1996, Geo ...

) of

Imereti Imereti ( Georgian: იმერეთი, ) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 mun ...

with a population of 7,756 as of January 2024. It is situated on the left bank of the Tskhenistsqali River in the north-west of Imereti, close to the border with the region of

Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti ( Georgian: სამეგრელო-ზემო სვანეთი ) is a region (Mkhare) in western Georgia with a population of 308,358 (2021) and a surface of . The region has Zugdidi as its administrative center ...

and 266 km west of Georgia's capital

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

. The town serves as an administrative centre of the Khoni District. Its economy is based on agriculture, particularly tea production. Khoni has been known as a lively trading locale and a see of the Georgian Orthodox diocese since the Middle Ages. The town itself was founded in the 6th or 9th century and the still functioning

St. George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

's Cathedral in downtown Khoni was constructed between the 11th and 13th centuries. It acquired the status of a town in 1921. Under the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, it was named after the

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

revolutionary Alexander Tsulukidze in 1936, but the historical name of Khoni was restored in 1991.

Notable people from Khoni

Akaki Chkhenkeli Akaki Chkhenkeli ( ka, აკაკი ჩხენკელი; 19 May 1874 – 5 January 1959) was a Georgian Social Democratic politician and publicist who acted as one of the leaders of the Menshevik movement in Russia and Georgia. In 1918 ...

(1874–1959), Georgian politician and publisher * Kita Chkhenkeli (1895–1963), Georgian linguist * Tamar Abakelia (1905–1953), Georgian sculptor *

Irakli Abashidze Irakli Abashidze ( ka, ირაკლი აბაშიძე; ; 10 September 1909 – 14 January 1992) was a Georgia (country), Georgian poet, literary scholar and politician. Abashidze was born in Khoni, Kutais Governorate, Russian Empire. He ...

(1909–1992), Georgian poet and public figure *

Apollon Kutateladze Apollon Karamanovich Kutateladze (, – ) was a Soviet and Georgian painter. Early life Apollon Kutateladze started to study in Poti, Georgia. He continued to study at the "Caucasian society of artist support" school, where he specialised in ...

(1900–1972), Georgian painter *

Nana Mchedlidze Nana Mchedlidze ( ka, ნანა მჭედლიძე, ; 20 March 1926 – 29 March 2016) was a Soviet and Georgian actress, film director and screenwriter. From 1950 to 1954 she was an actress with the Tbilisi Rustaveli Theatre. After 19 ...

(1926–2016), Georgian actress,

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

* Ipolite Khvichia (1910–1985), Georgian actor * Victor Zagainov (1953-2002), astronomer and hot air balloon pilot

References

Cities and towns in Imereti Kutaisi Governorate Populated places in Khoni Municipality {{Georgia-geo-stub

Notable people from Khoni

See also

References