destroyed by the Persian shah Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar in 1795, it was restored to its present condition in 1939. Across the street stands another three-story bell tower; one of the earliest example of Russian Neoclassical architecture in the region. Complete in 1812, the bell tower was commissioned under Pavel Tsitsianov using money awarded in recognition of his conquest of Ganja for the Russian Empire. The murals, painted by G. Gagarin, and iconostasis, also designed by him in 1950s-60s, differed from traditional Georgian tradition. Burials The Sioni Cathedral serves as a burial ground for several notable churchmen, including the 20th-century Catholicoi-Patriarchs of Georgia, and economic and political figure Giorgi Maisashvili: Kyrion II, Leonid, Ambrose, Christophorus III, Callistratus, Melchizedek III, Ephraim II, Patriarch David V of Georgia Giorgi Maisashvili Pavel Tsitsianov References Rosen, Roger. Georgia: A Sovereign Country of the Caucasus. Odyssey Publications: Hong Kong, 1999. External links Tbilisi city government site Georgian Cultural Heritage Information Center 12th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings Georgian Orthodox cathedrals in Georgia (country) Religious sites in Georgia (country) Georgian Orthodox churches in Tbilisi 7th-century churches in Georgia (country) Old Tbilisi Tourist attractions in Tbilisi Churches completed in 1112 12th-century churches in Georgia (country)