Aneta Dadeshkeliani

1872-1922 / Poet / Philanthropist

Aneta Dadiani-Dadeshqeliani was born in 1872 in the village of Jvari, Georgia. She lost her mother at a very young age and so her uncle, Akaki Tsereteli, took responsibility for her education. Akaki especially loved his sister’s only child and he ensured that Aneta received the very best education possible at the time.

In 1888, Aneta married a descendent of one of the princely clans of Svaneti, Jansug (Giorgi) Dadeshkeliani.

Aneta Dadeshkeliani wrote poems and published them in the contemporary press. She also actively participated in cultural and social work, teaching locals in Svaneti and Samegrelo how to read and write, and, along with her husband, trying to make life easier for the lowest social classes. At the same time, she was in involved in the work of the Society for the Spreading of Literacy among Georgians and took part in their activities.

It’s well-known that, for a long time, there were no schools in Svaneti. The first school was opened in Etseri by Aneta’s brother-in-law, Tatarkan Dadeshkeliani. Aneta was actively involved in the affairs of the school and tried to make sure that the pupils there learned the Georgian language.

At Aneta’s initiative, a two-grade school was opened in Samegrelo, in Jvari, which she established in her own home, in the Dadiani residence. This school continued to function until the Soviet period.

During the last few years of her life, Aneta bequeathed part of her estate to the Society for the Spreading of Literacy among Georgians.