Dimitri Megvinetkhutsesishvili

Public Figure, Historian, Archaeologist, and Dramatist - Dimitri Megvinetkhutsesishvili was born in the village of Khidistavi in 1815. He went on to study law at the Tbilisi Gymnasium and worked in the Gori Court Chancellery. In 1852, he was elected as a member of the Geographical Society. Notably, Megvinetukhutsesishvili traveled to Shida Kartli region and described the monuments there. He also contributed greatly to the discovery and preservation of Georgian antiquities. In 1851, Giorgi Eristavi arranged for him to meet with the viceregency Mikhail Vorontsov. After this meeting, he temporarily moved from Gori to Tbilisi to help Eristavi in developing Georgian theater. He, together with Eristavi, led the establishment of Georgian theater and the magazine "Tsiskari." Megvinetkhutsesishvili wrote a number of plays (including "The Customs of Chachans" and "Vitchaki"), many of which were censored by the Russian authorities. He died in 1878 in Khidistavi, where he was also buried.