Funeral home in Mtatsminda - 24/7 funeral services in Sololaki, Vera and along the Kojori road

District boundaries: from the historic centre to mountain villages

A 2013 resolution of the Tbilisi Sakrebulo (city council), which divides the capital's districts into territorial units, gives Mtatsminda district four such units. The first is Mtatsminda itself together with Sololaki, the second is Vera, the third is Kiketi and Kojori, and the fourth is Tsavkisi, Shindisi and Tabakhmela. Two entirely different worlds share one district: the dense old town, where every metre is used, and the settlements on the slopes above Tbilisi, with detached houses and large plots of land.

So there is no single scenario in Mtatsminda. A flat in Sololaki and a country house in Kojori need a different number of people, different equipment and a different route, and the dispatcher establishes this during the very first conversation.

Old residential houses of Sololaki and Mtatsminda

Buildings from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries here often have an inner courtyard ringed by wooden galleries and outside staircases. To reach a flat you sometimes have to walk in from the street through an archway, cross the courtyard and only then climb a wooden or iron staircase to the second or third floor. Houses like these almost never have a lift.

An old balcony and its railings were not built to take a heavy load, and the steps are often worn and uneven. So the crew leader first walks the route on foot: where the staircase turns, where the narrowest point is, whether a coffin can be carried along the gallery. Only then does he decide whether to take the coffin upstairs or to bring the deceased down to the courtyard on a stretcher first.

Carrying the coffin down a steep staircase: why pallbearers matter

In the old quarter four people are often not enough to carry a coffin, especially when the staircase has two or three turns. For addresses like these we usually send a team of six: they take turns under the weight and keep the coffin level even on a tight landing. You can read more about the team on our page about pallbearers for a funeral.

• Protecting walls and doors: old plaster and painted door frames are easily damaged, so we cover the corners with soft pads.
• Quiet at night: in an inner courtyard every sound carries into every flat, so the crew works almost in a whisper, out of respect for the neighbours.
• Wet stone: after rain the cobbles in the courtyard are slippery, so the pallbearers wear shoes with non-slip soles.

The climbs and narrow lanes of Vera

Some of Vera's streets rise steeply up the hillside, a number are one-way, and on others cars are parked tightly along both kerbs. Often the hearse cannot reach the entrance itself and stops at the nearest junction. We then carry the coffin by hand for about a hundred metres, at a slow pace, so relatives can walk behind. Many families see this short walk as a traditional procession and make it together.

On a frosty winter morning the driver assesses in advance whether it is safe to drive up a steep section. If there is any risk, the vehicle stays below and extra hands are sent to the crew.

Parking the hearse and guests' cars

Parking is scarce in the historic centre, many spaces are paid, and on the days of a farewell more cars arrive in the quarter than the street can hold. The day before, one of our staff checks on the spot where the hearse can stand without blocking traffic, and suggests which nearby square or wide street the family should give guests as a meeting place.

For elderly relatives who find it hard to walk uphill, it is better to order a taxi right to the courtyard gate. When the funeral day comes, we line up the procession so that guests' cars gather on the main street of the area and set off together from there to the cemetery.

Kojori, Kiketi, Shindisi, Tsavkisi and Tabakhmela

The southern part of the district looks nothing like the centre. Here there are mostly detached houses: some people live in them all year round, others come only for the summer. The plot is roomy and carrying a coffin is easy, but the road is long, it winds in hairpin bends and in winter it is sometimes snowbound. The crew may need more than thirty-five minutes to reach these villages, and the dispatcher says so honestly from the outset.

On a large plot the farewell is often held right in the garden, under a canopy or a tent. We will bring a tent, chairs and lighting, and for the funeral itself we can arrange a bus so that relatives from the city do not have to drive up the mountain in their own cars.

A farewell at home and the refrigerated coffin

Rooms in old flats usually have high ceilings but are narrow and elongated, while the hallways are short and full of bends. Before bringing in the refrigerated coffin, we choose a room together with the family where guests can move freely and the window faces north or onto the courtyard. The crew helps move the furniture itself.

The daily rate for the refrigerated coffin is 80 GEL. If the staircase is so narrow that the unit will not go up in one piece, we carry it up in parts and assemble it in the room. In houses with a shared courtyard, neighbours often help the family: they lend chairs, greet visitors and sometimes give up a room of their own for elderly guests.

A farewell in a hall: the nearest one is in Vake

Mtatsminda district has no funeral hall of ours. The closest is our Vake hall, which holds about a hundred people and has a separate room for the family and a terrace, on a quiet street. It is not far from Sololaki and Vera, so many families whose flat is too small, or whose staircase is too difficult, choose it.

Hall hire starts from 300 GEL per day, depending on size and length of stay. All our halls and their terms are listed under funeral halls, while the next-door district is covered on its own Vake page.

Church services in the district

Mtatsminda has several Orthodox churches, old and new, and for many families it matters that the funeral service takes place in their own parish church. We arrange things with the priest in advance: the time, whether a choir is needed and how close the hearse can get to the church gate.

Many churches here stand on the slope, with steps leading up to their grounds. In that case the same pallbearers who carried the coffin out of the flat carry it into the church and back out again after the service. The family hands the donation to the parish personally.

The Mtatsminda Pantheon - a landmark only

The district's name is inseparable from the Pantheon on Mount Mtatsminda, where Georgian writers and prominent public figures rest. From time to time relatives ask whether their loved one could be laid to rest there. The answer is short: this is decided neither by relatives nor by a funeral home; the decision is taken at state level, for people of exceptional merit. We do not organise such burials and we do not promise them to anyone.

Cemeteries chosen by Mtatsminda residents

The historic Vera cemetery lies within the district, but new plots in old cemeteries are rarely allocated, and burials there are mostly in an existing family grave. So the choice depends on where the family's ancestors lie.

If the family is thinking of an ancestral burial in a village or elsewhere outside Tbilisi, we will handle that too, but the time and cost are then worked out separately.

Opening a family grave and preparing a new one

In an old cemetery the graves stand close together, the railings and headstones almost touch, and machinery often cannot get through. Our workers open a family grave by hand without disturbing the neighbouring plots, and after the burial they put the slab back in place. This work costs from 350 GEL. Fresh graves are dug from 400 GEL, depending on the soil and the weather.

If the old burial card has been lost, our coordinator searches for the entry in the cemetery office archive. All we need from the family are documents showing how the deceased is related to the relative already buried there.

Children and loved ones abroad

In Sololaki and Vera quite a few elderly parents live alone while their children moved to other countries long ago. In that situation almost everything can be handled at a distance:

• we send the estimate and photographs by messenger app, and you can pay with a foreign card;
• the crew goes into the flat only with a neighbour or relative the family trusts present;
• a refrigerated coffin allows the funeral to be postponed for a few days while relatives fly home;
• for those who cannot come, we film the church service and the burial.

The crew's route from neighbouring Vake

We are headquartered next door in Vake, at 10 Zakaria Paliashvili Street, where the vehicles are garaged too. From there the crew usually reaches Sololaki, Mtatsminda and Vera in up to thirty-five minutes, by day and by night alike. In the traffic of the centre, or for the southern villages of the district, it may take longer. During the call itself we tell the driver which side is easier to approach from and whether there is a courtyard gate that needs opening.

Prices for Mtatsminda addresses

Options for complete arrangements, from documents to the memorial meal, are collected on the funeral arrangement page. The list of other Tbilisi districts is on the districts page.

The first hours: a sequence for a Mtatsminda family

1. Call a doctor. When someone dies at home, a doctor must first confirm the death and issue a medical certificate.
2. Ring the funeral home. Give the dispatcher not only the address but also the floor, the type of staircase and whether there is an inner courtyard.
3. Meet the crew. It helps if someone goes out to the street to meet the vehicle: in the old quarter house numbers can be hard to spot.
4. Decide on the spot. Together with the coordinator you choose where the farewell will take place - at home or in the Vake hall - and which cemetery to use.

Frequently asked questions