Georgia has declared a period of national mourning following the death of His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi, and Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Sokhumi-Abkhazia, who passed away on March 17 at the age of 93.
By order of the government, state flags have been lowered to half-mast on administrative buildings throughout the country. The flag above the Georgian Government Administration was among the first to be lowered, followed by that of the Presidential Palace. Flags have also been brought down across all administrative buildings of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as those of the Adjara Autonomous Republic government and its municipalities.
In the capital, every municipal administrative building in Tbilisi is flying its flag at half-mast in tribute to the late Patriarch.
Ilia II led the Georgian Orthodox Church for half a century, serving as the spiritual father of the nation until his death. He was 93 years old.
