Ekaterina V.
We only got to see two of Tbilisi’s Grand Entrances, but both felt like works of art. They’re locked, so you can’t simply enter from the street; we were lucky enough to get inside each time and see these pieces of history up close. One is in the merchant Kalantarov’s house, considered one of the city’s most beautiful homes. Its neo-Moorish style brings together Spanish art and Berber motifs, with lovely old railings, lace-like moldings, and an antique fireplace. Since 1908, that fireplace has warmed the entrance hall. It must have felt so cozy to step in from the winter cold. You can almost picture canes tapping on the marble stairs and the swish of crinolines and silk dresses. The house once belonged to a merchant and his family. It was later split into apartments, and people live there now, surrounded by all that history. Tbilisi has several of these grand entrances, and they’re beautiful.
