Lado Gudiashvili (1896-1980) is one of the most prominent representatives of Georgian modernist art and the Tbilisi avant-garde, famed for his creative vision and unique style of painting. Lado Gudiashvili was born and raised in a historic neighborhood of Tbilisi’s multicultural milieu at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1910, Gudiashvili enrolled at the School of Painting and Sculpture, which had been established in Tbilisi in 1902 under the auspices of the Caucasian Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts. His teacher there was the renowned Tbilisi caricaturist Oscar Schmerling. In addition to honing his skills at painting and drawing, under the guidance of Iacob Nikoladze Gudiashvili also delved into the art of sculpture.

Ivane Javakhishvili, the rector of Tbilisi University, had stated his viewpoint about such an evasive measure in mid-February, and Ekvtime Takaishvili, his friend and the university’s founder, echoed it: "If the treasure is not hidden, the Bolsheviks will steal everything; we know very well what they did to Georgian churches."

The Church of the Mother of God is located in the village of Metekhi, in Kartli Province. Legend attributes its foundation to the fifth-century Georgian king Vakhtang Gorgasali, although there is no archaeological or architectural evidence to support such an early date. The extant church was built in the first half of the thirteenth century and restored several times in the late Middle Ages and Modern times.