The President of Georgia participated in the cross erection ceremony at the Bagrati church with the Kutaisian Bishop. Mikheil Saakashvili personally stood on the dome and erected a 300 kilogram 2.14 meter cross with the workers.

Before erecting the cross, the President addressed the gathered audience and noted that restoring the Bagrati Church is the beginning of the unification of Georgia. The Head of State thanked the Bishop for the care he had been giving the church during reconstruction. According to Mikheil Saakashvili, the next one to open will be the Poti Church, and he also added that the exact  model of the destroyed Georgian national cultural monument and a symbol of holiness - the Bani Church will soon be built in Lazika. This will be a very important step in terms of developing the country. The President of Georgia stressed that the ongoing rehabilitation of the country belongs to everyone and this process marks the beginning of the golden age for Georgia.

The cross erected on the dome of Kutaisi will be seen from all central spots of Kutaisi.

August 17^th has been declared as a onetime holiday by a decree of the President of Georgia regarding today’s ceremony.