Funeral services in Mtskheta - a Tbilisi funeral home for the town and the villages of the municipality, around the clock

Driving from Tbilisi to Mtskheta past Mukhatgverdi

Mtskheta stands where the Kura (Mtkvari) and the Aragvi rivers meet. Our vehicles head out towards Dighomi and drive north along the highway, beside which Mukhatgverdi cemetery spreads across the edge of Tbilisi. For the family this is convenient in two ways at once. Mtskheta families who decide to bury a loved one in the capital have only a short way to Mukhatgverdi, and the procession avoids the jams of the centre. And Tbilisi guests travelling to a village cemetery know this highway well, so agreeing on a meeting point could hardly be easier.

An hour is the time we promise the family in the first conversation. At night the crew often turns up sooner, and in the morning and evening rush hours the dispatcher stays in touch with the driver and warns the relatives himself if the road is jammed.

The ancient capital and heart of the Georgian Church

Mtskheta was the royal seat of Iberia, the ancient Kingdom of Kartli, until the court moved to Tbilisi in the fifth century. Today the town is still regarded as the main centre of the Georgian Orthodox Church. In 1994 UNESCO added the "Historical Monuments of Mtskheta" to the World Heritage List: Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in the centre of town, Samtavro Monastery, and Jvari Monastery on a high rocky ridge from which you can see both the meeting of the rivers and the whole town.

For us these monuments are first of all landmarks. When explaining the way, relatives often say that the house is above Svetitskhoveli or on the street leading to Samtavro, and the driver finds the gate from clues like these. The lanes of the historic part are narrow and full of visitors during the day, so we choose the spot for the hearse in advance and plan the procession on the day of the funeral so that it does not cross the flow of pilgrims and tourists.

Funeral services in church are decided by the clergy

Most believing families want their loved one to have a funeral service in church, and in Mtskheta this wish goes almost without saying. But clarity matters here: whether the service will take place in a particular church, at what time and in what form is decided by the clergy, not by the funeral home. We do not arrange, and do not promise, burials within monastery grounds or inside the walls of the historic cathedrals.

Our side of the work is practical. Once the family has agreed things with the priest, we bring the coffin to the church at the appointed hour, wait outside until the service ends and then accompany the deceased to the cemetery. In villages where the family has its own parish, the priest often comes to the house himself for a panikhida, the short prayer service for the departed, and in that case the crew prepares the room and sets out chairs beforehand.

Villages of the municipality: from Saguramo to Mukhrani

Mtskheta municipality is far larger than the town itself and includes dozens of settlements. Among them are Saguramo, Natakhtari, Tserovani, Mukhrani, Misaktsieli and Tsilkani. Each has its own look, but the crew's questions are much the same everywhere: how close can the vehicle get to the gate, will a tent fit in the yard, where will the power for the refrigerated coffin come from, and where is the family plot in the cemetery.

A village address often has neither a street name nor a house number. In that case a landmark is enough: the school, the village church, a shop or a turning off the main road. Someone from the family guides the driver over the last stretch by phone, or goes out to the road and waves.

Tserovani: a settlement for internally displaced people

Tserovani was built after the August war of 2008 and became one of the largest settlements in the country for internally displaced people. It is home to families who left Akhalgori, the Liakhvi gorge and the area around Tskhinvali. The houses are identical small cottages built in rows, each with a little yard.

The rooms inside are cramped, so we choose the spot for the refrigerated coffin together with the family, sometimes moving furniture. The tent usually goes along the fence or between two houses, with the neighbours' agreement. Sometimes the family can no longer reach the cemetery where their ancestors lie; then we look for a new plot together with the local administration, or offer options at Tbilisi cemeteries.

Your own house and yard: a farewell under a tent

In Mtskheta and its villages most people live in private houses with a yard, and by tradition the farewell takes place right there: in the largest room or in the yard, under a canopy or a tent. The crew will bring a refrigerated coffin at 80 GEL per day and, if needed, put up a funeral tent in the yard, from 250 GEL. The tent shelters guests from rain and scorching sun, and we set the chairs beneath it in rows so that people can file past the coffin one after another.

• Power supply: the refrigerated coffin needs an ordinary socket; if there is none in the yard, we bring a long extension lead.
• Getting into the yard: we carry the coffin carefully through a narrow garden gate without brushing the flower beds or the vine.
• Lighting in the evening: a village yard gets dark early, so at the family's request we hang lamps under the tent.

The village cemetery and the ancestral grave

The villages of the municipality as a rule each have their own cemetery, where families have buried their relatives inside one railing for generations. Plots here are often allocated by the village community or a municipal representative, and relatives usually know whom to approach. We take care of preparing the grave: our grave diggers dig a new one from 400 GEL, and opening a family grave costs from 350 GEL.

In many villages neighbours still help each other dig the grave, and we respect that. If there are not enough hands, or the family is short of time, our workers come the day before the funeral and do the whole job. On an old family plot we lift the slab by hand without damaging the neighbouring graves or the railing, and after the burial we put everything back in place.

Tbilisi families whose ancestors lie in Mtskheta villages

The countryside around Mtskheta is so close to the capital that many Tbilisi families keep their ties to the home village: the grandparents' house still stands there, and so does the ancestral grave. It is quite usual for someone to have lived their whole life in Tbilisi and then be taken to rest beside their forebears.

The farewell is then often split into two stages. On the first day colleagues and friends say goodbye in the city flat, and from the second day the coffin moves to the village house, where neighbours and relatives gather. The details of such a move are described on a separate page: transport of the deceased to the regions. The Mtskheta villages are close, so embalming is usually not needed; the refrigerated compartment of the hearse and a refrigerated coffin at the house are enough.

Funeral halls: the nearest are in Didube and Gldani

Mtskheta municipality has no hall of ours. If the house is small or the family expects a lot of people, the closest are our two halls in Didube, with sixty and two hundred seats, where the room for the memorial meal is in the same building. Another option is the Gldani hall with a hundred and twenty seats. The Didube halls and the district's routes are described in detail on the Didube and Dighomi page.

In practice, most Mtskheta families still choose the house or the yard. Village custom says you go to your neighbour's doorstep, and for elderly mourners the trip to Tbilisi can be hard.

The memorial meal: a table at home or in a local restaurant

Families arrange the memorial meal (the Georgian "kelekhi") in different ways. Some lay tables in the yard in the old way, with neighbours' wives helping to cook. Others choose a nearby restaurant, sparing the family hours at the stove. Either way we can help: bring tables and chairs, or agree our menu with a local venue.

Per person, our three menus come to 35, 45 or 60 GEL, and the choice between them depends on how generous a table the family wants and on the budget. Relatives give us the final guest count the evening before the funeral.

Registering the death and the paperwork

If someone dies at home, a doctor first certifies the death and writes out a medical certificate. With that certificate you go to the Public Service Hall - in Georgian usage the "House of Justice" - where the death is entered in the register and the family receives the death certificate. A death can be registered at any branch of the Public Service Hall, and we do it wherever is quickest, including in Tbilisi. Our representative does this under a power of attorney, so relatives do not have to leave the house.

Documents, the choice of coffin, grave diggers and transport are combined into a single order; the full scope of this service is set out on the funeral arrangement page.

Hearse rates: the town and outlying villages

Within Mtskheta the hearse costs the same as in any Tbilisi district: from 150 GEL, with no travel surcharge of any kind. For villages beyond the town we price by distance: 1.5 GEL for every kilometre, and the return journey counts too, since the vehicle drives back to base.

Say the village is sixty kilometres from our base: the vehicle covers a hundred and twenty kilometres there and back, and transport comes to 180 GEL. The dispatcher works out the exact distance from the village name, we fix the amount in that same conversation, and after that it does not change.

Budget package for a modest budget

For families who need to keep costs to a minimum there is a budget package at 1,200 GEL. It includes the coffin, a shroud, preparation of the body, the hearse and the paperwork. In Mtskheta itself the price stays the same, while for a distant village mileage may be added. A tent, a refrigerated coffin and grave preparation are added as needed, and each item is itemised on its own line of the estimate.

Prices for Mtskheta and the surrounding villages

The first hours: steps for a Mtskheta family

1. Doctor. After a death at home, call a doctor: he or she will confirm it and write the certificate.
2. Call us. Let the dispatcher know whether it is the town or a village, give a landmark and the size of the yard, and say where you are thinking of holding the burial.
3. The crew arrives. In about an hour the team is there; meanwhile, clear a room and open the gate.
4. The overall plan. Together with the coordinator you settle the place of farewell, the cemetery, the style of the memorial meal and the overall cost.

Frequently asked questions