Orbeliani Palace

The original building, which no longer survives, dates back to the 18th century and was a gift of King Teimuraz II of Kakheti to his son-in-law Dimitry, brother of Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani. That earlier building was destroyed and the current one was built in its place at the end of the 19th century.[3] The last inhabitant of the palace was Grigol Orbeliani. At one point, the building served as the U.S. Embassy in Georgia. In 2013, about 25 million Georgian lari was spent on the renovation of the palace.[4]

Logo of the Administration of the President of Georgia featuring the palace

Georgian politician and former French diplomat Salome Zourabichvili announced during her 2018 presidential campaign that she would not work from the Avlabari Presidential Palace if elected. That palace, which was opened in July 2009, was built during the presidency of Mikheil Saakashvili, with whom Zourabichvili had a fallout. Zourabichvili stated that she preferred Orbeliani Palace because it was more understated and that members of the House of Orbeliani and Baratashvili, who once resided there, were her historical ancestors.[5][6]

After her election, she met with the outgoing President Giorgi Margvelashvili in the Avlabari Palace before moving into the Orbeliani Palace on 18 December 2018.[7]