House with Atlanteans (house of merchant Sabaev)

At the crossroads of Konstantin Gamsakhurdia and Memed Abashidze streets, in the historical heart of Batumi, stands one of the most beautiful and impressive buildings in the city, known as the House with Atlanteans or Sabaev House. The house was built in the late 19th – early 20th century by the influential Batumi merchant of the second guild Nikoloz Sabashvili (Sabaev), this mansion is a striking example of Renaissance-Baroque architecture. Construction began in 1899 and was completed in 1903.

Originally a two-story building, the house acquired its famous appearance in 1909, when a third floor was added and its main decorations were added – the mighty figures of Atlanteans supporting the rounded corner bay window at the level of the two upper floors. These expressive sculptures were created by the talented Georgian sculptor Seraphim Pololikashvili, who also participated in the design of the facade of the Batumi Catholic Cathedral.

The fate of the owner and his house changed dramatically after the revolution. In 1918, the building was confiscated, and Nikoloz Sabashvili lost all his property, spending the rest of his life in poverty and dying in Tbilisi in 1934. In the 1920s, rumors circulated in Batumi that Sabaev hid his jewelry in the Atlantean figures, but relatives later denied this legend.

Throughout the 20th century, this luxurious building housed various institutions: from a private trading office and a newspaper editorial office to a branch of the Russian-Chinese Bank, the Ministry of Finance of Adjara and the prosecutor's office. Currently, the government security of the Republic of Adjara works here.