Decision : 34 COM 7B.88
Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery (Georgia) (C 710)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-10/34.COM/7B.Add,

2. Recalling Decision 33 COM 7B.103, adopted at its 33rd session (Seville, 2009),

3. Acknowledges the information provided by the State Party on the "Bagrati Cathedral preliminary rehabilitation project", the general report on the studies conducted within the framework of this project and the "report on Bagrati Cathedral rehabilitation works";

4. Notes the recommendations of the joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM advisory mission to the property;

5. Expresses its serious concern about irreversible interventions carried out by the State Party as part of the preparations for the Bagrati Cathedral reconstruction project prior to any review or approval of the project and its impact on the Outstanding Universal Value, integrity and authenticity of the property;

6. Urges the State Party to halt immediately all interventions at Bagrati Cathedral, which threaten the Outstanding Universal Value, integrity and authenticity of the property;

7. Also urges the State Party to immediately adopt all necessary measures aiming to ensure the safeguarding of the Outstanding Universal Value, integrity and authenticity of the property, monitoring and survey of the state of conservation of the property, preparation, adoption and implementation of a Management Plan (including a tourism strategy and guidelines for the use of historic buildings and monuments, an Urban Master Plan and a Conservation Master Plan for the monuments);

8. Invites the State Party to organize a consultation with international conservation engineers and architectural conservators in order to consider how the interventions already carried out might be reversed entirely or in part and to consider the overall consolidation of the Bagrati Cathedral ruins;

9. Requests the State Party, in consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, to develop a draft Statement of Outstanding Universal Value of the property, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 35th session in 2011.

10. Considers that the State Party has not complied with all the requests expressed by the Committee in Decision 33 COM 7B.103, and that therefore the property is in danger in conformity with Chapter IV.B of the Operational Guidelines and decides to inscribe the Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery (Georgia) on the List of World Heritage in Danger;

11. Adopts the following Desired State of Conservation for the property based on its Outstanding Universal Value, in view of its future removal from the List of World Heritage in Danger:

a) The reconstruction of the Bagrati Cathedral halted,

b) Interventions already carried out at the Bagrati Cathedral reversed (entirely or in part),

c) The overall consolidation project of the Bagrati Cathedral ruins, elaborated in consultation with international conservation engineers and architectural conservators, implemented,

d) The boundaries and buffer zone of all component parts of the World Heritage property precisely clarified,

e) A comprehensive management system including an integrated management plan with tourism strategy and guidelines for the use of historic buildings and monuments, conservation master plan for all components of the World Heritage property and its buffer zone and urban master plan including land-use regulations approved and implemented,

f) Long-term consolidation and conservation of the historical monuments of the Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery ensured;

12. Also adopts the following corrective measures and the timeframe for their implementation:

a) Changes to be carried out immediately:

- The reconstruction of the Bagrati Cathedral halted and a consultation organized with international conservation engineers and architectural conservators in order to consider how the interventions already carried out might be reversed (entirely or in part) and how the overall consolidation of the Bagrati Cathedral ruins might be achieved,

b) Changes to be carried out within one to two years:

- Interventions already carried out at the Bagrati Cathedral reversed entirely or in part (taking into consideration the underground reinforced concrete ring around the foundations of the building),

- An overall consolidation project of the Bagrati Cathedral ruins elaborated in consultation with international conservation engineers and architectural conservators,

- Monitoring regimes for the physical conservation of all components of the property to ensure the long-term conservation, consolidation and protection of the property developed,

- A clear institutional coordination mechanism, ensuring that the conservation of the property receives priority consideration within relevant governmental decision-making processes, established,

c) Changes to be carried out within two to three years:

- Legislation adopted that assures the protection and maintenance of all the component parts of the property in order to sustain its Outstanding Universal Value,

- A comprehensive management system adopted that includes an Integrated Management Plan with tourism strategy and guidelines for the use of historic buildings and monuments, Conservation Master Plan for all components of the property and its buffer zone and an Urban Master Plan including land-use regulations,

d) Changes to be carried out within five years (after possible removal from the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2 to 3 years):

- Documentation and recording of all historical monuments as a digitized information database for management, conservation and planning purposes completed,

- A full inventory of paintings including digitalization and reference system for all historical monuments of the property established,

- Agreed upon restoration of all monuments, including paintings carried out,

- A complex programme for the structural conservation and restoration of the churches, in Gelati Monastery to be carried out,

- A complex programme for the systematic cleaning, conservation and restoration of the interior wall-paintings and mosaics in Gelati Monastery churches, with the involvement and collaboration of international specialists in this domain, to be carried out;

13. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2011, a report on the state of conservation of the property and on the steps taken to implement the World Heritage Committee's decision, including three printed and electronic copies of the draft management plan, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 35th session in 2011, considering that, if further reconstruction works are carried out on Bagrati Cathedral, the property might be considered, in conformity with Chapter IV.C of the Operational Guidelines, for deletion from the World Heritage List.