The recently renovated Batumi Museum of Religion will introduce you to the diversity of Adjara. The long-forgotten exhibition space brings together about 400 exhibits, including unique ones, typical for different religions. The updated exhibition presents pieces related to the Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, and Armenian Apostolic Church, such as icons, photographs, books, maquettes, and bas-relief works. Over the years, the Batumi Museum of Religion has faced unfavorable conditions for storing and presenting exhibits. With the support of the Open Society Georgia Foundation, in 2020, the organization “Green Sector” set itself the goal of promoting the development of the museum. As part of the project “Inter-Confessional Platform in the Museum Space,” the technical facilities of the museum were improved. Additionally, specific recommendations were drawn up on how to develop the museum institutionally; an international conference was organized, in which the museum employees also took part.
The Union of Museums of Adjara’s website, www.ajaramuseums.ge, was updated both visually and structurally as part of this project. Young people were involved in various educational activities. This project contributed to the popularization of the museum and the broad presentation of its social and educational roles.
This year, the Autonomous Republic of Adjara allocated funds from the local budget that made it possible to completely renovate the Museum of Religion in Batumi and transform it into a complex exhibition space equipped with modern technologies. Here, thematic exhibits from other types of museums in Batumi were moved,, moreover, new exhibits were created.
The museum’s space is available for educational and informative meetings and conferences. Per se, it is a platform of intercultural relations, offering a captivating environment for schoolchildren and young people so that they understand from an early age that Adjara is a multi-confessional region. Of course, this will enhance the relationship between young people of diverse religious identities and their understanding of the significance of tolerance.
