A long history preceded the construction of catholic cathedral in lower Kala, on G. Abesadze (ex –Catholics) street that dates back to the 13th century since the Catholics settlement in Tbilisi. In 1240 the Dominican monks founded a monastery and in 1328 John the Baptizer cathedral was constructed and Tbilisi episcopacy was being founded that halted its functioning in the 16th century. The Catholic missioners returning to Georgia in the 17th century, constructed the Annunciation Church –so called the Latin’s Church on Catholics Street, of which they were deprived off by Teimuraz the II and this king abolished the Catholics from Tbilisi. The present church was constructed across from the Annunciation Church (that did not come up to day) in 1805-1808 by Fra Philipo Foranian.
The Catholic Cathedral of Virgin Mary Ascension was considerably repaired and renovated by the leadership of the Patriarch Dmitri Tumanishvili in 1884. In 1998-1999 the church was restored by the leadership of Juzepe Pazoto, the administrator of the apostolic and by the design of the architect A. Solomnishvili and was consecrated as Virgin Mary Ascension Church.
The hall type church is characterized with eclecticism. The elements of Baroque and Neo- Gothic are blended. The gate of the western facade is of Gothic style. At first the church was covered with the wooden roof and it was replaced by the concrete cross type arches in 1990s of the 20th century. The altar was painted in 1999-2000.
