Georgian Orthodox Church: a brief background. Orthodoxy and Orthodox shrines in Georgia To whom does the Georgian Church belong?
17:41, 25 Lipnya 2011
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Georgia (Iveria) - the apostolic lot of the Mother of God. However, the Lord told her to stay in Jerusalem. Apostle Andrew the First-Called went north...
In the Caucasus, between the Black and Caspian Seas, is the country ancient history and culture - Georgia. The beauty of Georgian nature, the originality of Georgian art and the unique color of the Georgian character delighted great poets and famous travelers. At the same time, it is one of the oldest Christian countries in the world, which is impossible to imagine without holy Orthodoxy.
Throughout its history, Georgia has been fighting against the invaders, who sought not only to enslave the country, but also to eradicate Christianity in it. Many conquerors were close to destroying Orthodox Iveria. But the Christ-loving Georgian people defended their homeland and preserved the right faith. Georgia is still one of the outposts of Orthodoxy in the modern world.
lot Holy Mother of God
Georgia (Iveria) - the apostolic lot of the Mother of God. According to church tradition, after the Ascension, the apostles gathered in the Zion Room and cast lots on which country each of them should go to. The Blessed Virgin Mary wished to take part in the apostolic preaching. The lot fell to her to go to Iveria, but the Lord ordered her to stay in Jerusalem. The Apostle Andrew the First-Called set out to the north, taking with him the image of the Mother of God.
The holy apostle went to the country that kept the great Old Testament shrine - the mantle of the prophet Elijah. The Jews, persecuted by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, brought her there. In addition, the greatest Christian shrine was also in Georgia - the non-sewn tunic of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was brought to Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Georgia, by a local resident, the Jew Elioz, who was present at the crucifixion.
In apostolic times, two Georgian states existed on the territory of modern Georgia: the eastern Georgian Kartli (Greek Iveria) and the western Georgian Egrisi (Greek Colchis). Apostle Andrew preached both in Eastern and Western Georgia.
In the city of Atskuri (near modern Akhaltsikhe), through the prayer of the apostle, the widow’s son, who had died shortly before his arrival, was resurrected, and this miracle prompted the inhabitants of the city to accept holy baptism. The Apostle Andrew appointed a newly enlightened bishop, priests and deacons, and before setting off on his journey he left in the city an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, which had been in the cathedral for many centuries.
In Western Georgia, together with the Apostle Andrew, the teachings of Christ were preached by the Apostle Simon the Zealot, who was buried there, in the village of Komany. The Georgian land received another apostle, St. Matthias, he preached in the south-west of Georgia and was buried in Gonio, near modern Batumi. Besides, ancient sources point to the stay of the apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus in Eastern Georgia.
Baptism of Iberia
The preaching of the holy apostles did not go unnoticed. The first Christian communities and churches appeared in Georgia. An interesting fact is that in the works of St. Irenaeus of Lyons (II century), among the Christian peoples, the Ivers (Georgians) are already mentioned.
However, the mass baptism of Georgians took place only at the beginning of the 4th century thanks to the preaching of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina, the Enlightener of Georgia. Originally from Cappadocia, a relative of the Great Martyr George, Saint Nina arrived from Jerusalem in fulfillment of the will of the Most Holy Theotokos.
The preacher attracted the attention of the people with the holiness of life, as well as many miracles, in particular, the healing of the queen from illness. When King Mirian, having been in danger while hunting, was saved after praying to the Christian God, then, safely returning home, he accepted Christianity with his whole house and himself became a preacher of the teachings of Christ among his people.
In 326 Christianity was proclaimed the state religion in Georgia. King Mirian built a temple in the name of the Savior in the capital of the state - Mtskheta, and on the advice of St. Nina sent envoys to St. Constantine the Great with a request to send a bishop and clergy. Bishop John, sent by Saint Constantine, and the Greek priests continued the conversion of the Georgians.
Before the arrival of the clergy in Mtskheta, where the chiton of the Lord was kept, the construction of the church had already begun. This place is still the center of the spiritual life of the Georgian people. Here it is cathedral church in honor of the Twelve Apostles - “Svetitskhoveli” (“Life-Giving Pillar”).
The successor of the famous king Mirian, King Bakar (342–364), also worked hard in the field of Christianization of the country. Under him, liturgical books were translated into Georgian.
Since that time, the Georgians have become faithful followers of Christ and have always unwaveringly defended Orthodox teaching. Byzantine historian of the 6th century. Procopius of Caesarea remarks that "Christians are Christians, and they observe the rules of faith better than anyone we know."
In the struggle for Orthodoxy
Georgia reached its power in the 5th century. under King Vakhtang I Gorgosali, who ruled the country for fifty-three years. Successfully defending the independence of his homeland, he did a lot for the Church. Under him, the collapsed at the beginning of the 5th century was rebuilt. Mtskheta temple.
With the transfer of the capital of Georgia from Mtskheta to Tiflis, Vakhtang I laid the foundation of the famous Zion Cathedral in the new capital, which exists to this day. Under King Vakhtang I, according to Georgian historians, 12 episcopal departments were opened. By the care of his mother Sagdukht, the widow of King Archil I, in 440, books were first translated into Georgian Holy Scripture New Testament.
Initially, the Georgian Church was under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Antioch, but already in the 5th century, according to the established opinion, it received autocephaly. This, apparently, was facilitated, among others, by the fact that Georgia was an independent Christian state outside the borders of the Byzantine Empire. From the 11th century The primate of the Georgian Church bears the title of Catholicos-Patriarch. (Katolikos - Greek “universal”, indicates that the jurisdiction of the Georgian Church extends not only to the borders of Georgia, but also to all Georgians, wherever they live. - Ed.)
Since the adoption of Christianity, the Georgian people for centuries had to almost constantly fight against external enemies, who, along with the conquest of the country, tried to destroy and christian religion. In the hardest struggle, the Georgian people were able to preserve statehood and defend Orthodoxy. For centuries, the struggle for statehood was identified with the struggle for Orthodoxy. They accepted here for the faith of Christ martyrdom many people, both clergy and laity.
World history does not know such an example of self-sacrifice as shown by the residents of the Georgian capital Tbilisi in 1227, when at the same time 100 thousand people - men, children and the elderly - refusing to fulfill the order of Khorezm Shah Jalal-ed-din - to desecrate the icons laid on bridge, received the martyr's crown.
In the crucible of trials, the faith and courage of the Georgian people only grew stronger. The flourishing of Christian Iberia was brought by the reign of the God-fearing king David IV (c. 1073-1125) and his pious descendants.
Golden age
At the dawn of his Christian history Georgia was forced to wage a centuries-old bloody struggle against Islam, the bearers of which were, first of all, the Arabs. From the 7th century they captured the vast lands of the Persian and Byzantine empires, weakened by mutual struggle. In the 8th century Georgia was subjected to terrible devastation by the Arabs, led by Murvan, nicknamed "Deaf" for his ruthlessness. A new wave of violence arose in the second half of the 11th century, when the Seljuk Turks invaded Georgia, destroying temples, monasteries, settlements and themselves. Orthodox Georgians.
The position of the Iberian Church changed only with the accession to the royal throne of David IV the Builder (1089-1125), an intelligent, enlightened and God-fearing ruler. David IV put the church life in order, built temples and established monasteries. In 1103, on his initiative, a council was convened in Ruisi, whose decisions contributed to the strengthening of the canonical life of the Church and the establishment of church deanery.
The zenith of Georgia's glory was the age of the famous great-granddaughter of David, the holy Queen Tamara (1184-1213), who was able not only to preserve what was under her predecessors, but also to expand her power from the Black to the Caspian Sea. After the capture of Constantinople by the crusaders in 1204, Georgia became the most powerful Christian state in the entire Eastern Mediterranean.
Legendary tales connect with the name of Queen Tamara almost all the remarkable monuments of the history of Georgia, including many towers and churches on the tops of the mountains. The saint was especially concerned about the enlightenment of her people. In her reign appears big number orators, theologians, philosophers, historians, artists and poets. However, with the death of St. Tamara, everything changed - she, as it were, took the happy years of her homeland with her to the grave.
Under the blows of enemies
The Mongol-Tatars who converted to Islam became a storm for Georgia. In 1387, Tamerlane entered Kartalinia, bringing destruction and devastation with him. “Georgia then presented a terrible sight,” writes priest Nikandr Pokrovsky. - Cities and villages in ruins, corpses lay in heaps on the streets. It seemed that a fiery river rushed through sad Georgia. Even after that, its sky was more than once illuminated by the glow of Mongolian fires, and the smoking blood of its ill-fated population marked the path of the formidable and cruel ruler of Samarkand in a long strip.
Following the Mongols, the Ottoman Turks brought suffering, the destruction of shrines and forced conversion to Islam to the Georgians.
A long series of disasters suffered by Georgia during its 1500-year history ended with the devastating invasion of the Persian Shah Aga Mohammed in 1795. On the day of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, the Shah ordered that all the clergy of Tiflis be seized and thrown from the high bank into the Kura River. In terms of cruelty, this execution is equal to the massacre perpetrated on the Easter night of 1617 in the Gareji monastery, when, on the orders of the Persian Shah Abbas, his soldiers slaughtered six thousand monks. “The Kingdom of Georgia,” writes the historian Platon Ioseliani, “in the course of fifteen centuries does not represent almost a single reign that would not be marked either by an attack, or ruin, or cruel oppression by the enemies of Christ.”
In times of distress for Iveria, intercessors ordinary people the monks came forward and secular clergy. “It is hardly possible to find any political or ecclesiastical society in the history of mankind,” wrote Bishop Kirion (Sadzaglishvili, later the Catholicos-Patriarch), “which would have made more sacrifices and shed more blood in defense of the Orthodox faith and nationality than did the Georgian clergy and especially monasticism. Due to the enormous influence of Georgian monasticism on the fate of the native Church, its history has become an integral and most important part of Georgian church-historical life, its valuable adornment, without which the history of subsequent centuries would have been colorless, incomprehensible, lifeless.
Together with Russia
The difficult situation of the Orthodox Georgians forced them to ask for help from the same faith Russia. Beginning in the 15th century, these appeals did not stop until the accession of Georgia to the Russian Empire. In response to the request of the last kings - George XII in Eastern Georgia and Solomon II in Western Georgia - on September 12, 1801, Emperor Alexander I issued a manifesto, by which Georgia - first Eastern, and then Western - was finally annexed to Russia.
After the reunification, the Georgian Church became part of the Russian Orthodox Church with the rights of an exarchate. In 1811, according to the imperial order, instead of the Catholicos, an exarch of Iberia was appointed, who received the right to be a member of the Holy Synod.
During the existence of the exarchate, order was put in place in church life, the financial situation of the clergy improved, theological educational institutions were opened, and science developed. At the same time, the Georgian language was gradually being squeezed out of worship, teaching in seminaries was also conducted in Russian. There were also questions related to church property.
Autocephalous Georgian Orthodox Church
AT late XIX- early XX centuries. there was a clearly expressed desire of Orthodox Georgians for autocephaly. In February 1917, a revolution took place in Russia, and on March 12, the restoration of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church was proclaimed in the ancient capital of Georgia, Mtskheta. On September 17, 1917, at the Council in Tbilisi, Bishop Kirion (Sadzaglishvili) was elected Catholicos-Patriarch. The Russian Church at first did not recognize the restoration of autocephaly, as a result of which there was a break in prayerful communion between the two Churches. Communication was restored in 1943 under Patriarch Sergius (Stragorodsky) and Catholicos-Patriarch Kallistrat (Tsintsadze). In 1990, the Ecumenical (Constantinople) Patriarchate recognized the autocephaly of the Georgian Church.
Currently, the Georgian Church has about three million believers, 27 dioceses, 53 monasteries, and about 300 parishes. Divine services are performed in Georgian, in some parishes - in Church Slavonic or Greek.
The Orthodox Church occupies special place in modern Georgia. The state recognizes marriages registered by the Church, ensures the operation of the institute of chaplains in the army and prisons, teaches the basics of the Orthodox faith in educational institutions, and recognizes diplomas from theological schools. In turn, the Church approves the projects of Orthodox churches and issues a permit for their construction; its property is exempt from taxes. All the great Orthodox holidays are declared state holidays in Georgia and are days off. Orthodox Iveria lives and looks to the future with hope.
Oleg Karpenko, "Church Orthodox Newspaper"
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Georgia is the closest Transcaucasian country to Russia, with which it is connected not only by faith, but the baptism of Georgia took place 664 years earlier than the baptism of Russia, but by history and culture. Many glorious names of Orthodox saints, kings, great generals, poets, writers, musicians and actors connect the two great countries. But the most important thing is the spiritual kinship of the peoples living in our countries.
Lot of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Christianity in Georgia originated in the time of the first apostles. Iveria went to the Mother of God by lot, when the first apostles chose the countries for the preaching of Christ. But by the will of God, this mission was entrusted to the Apostle Andrew.
According to legend, the apostles Matthew, Thaddeus, Simon Kannait, who was martyred there, conducted their preaching activities there. The rise of Christianity was not easy. At the very beginning of its development, it was subjected to persecution for almost three hundred years. Tsar Farsman the 1st in the first century staged a cruel persecution of Christians who referred to hard labor in Tauris.
The history of the formation of Orthodoxy in Georgia deserves special attention, because all the events associated with the baptism of Georgians have specific historical dates, and the individual facts of the miracles that occurred, associated with this phenomenon, are taken not from legends and traditions, but from real events that took place, witnessed by eyewitnesses.
Orthodoxy in Georgia received official recognition in 324. This great event is connected with the names:
- Saint Nino of Cappadocia. Her preaching contributed to the acceptance of baptism by Georgians.
- King Mirian, who converted to the faith thanks to Saint Nina and miraculous healing from the blindness that struck him when he turned to the Lord.
- Holy Queen Nana.
It is impossible to imagine Orthodox Georgia without these names.
She was born in the city of Cappadocia in a Christian family and received an appropriate upbringing from childhood. Even in her youth, fleeing the persecution of Emperor Diocletian in 303, she, among 37 Christian girls, fled to Armenia, where she miraculously escaped death, and then to Iberia, where she preached Christ.
Baptism
The ruling Georgian king Marian and his wife Nano were staunch pagans. Thanks to Nino's prayers, the queen, who had been seriously ill for a long time, was healed and received baptism from the saint, which caused the anger of the king, who was ready to execute both women. But on July 20, 323, a story similar to that which happened to the Apostle Paul happened to him.
Being on the hunt and learning about the acceptance of baptism by his wife, Queen Nano, in anger vowed to execute her and Nino. But, as soon as he began to threaten the execution of Nino and the queen and blaspheme, he immediately went blind. He received no help from his idols, and in desperation turned to Christ with a prayer. His sight returned.
These events took place in the spring of 323, and on May 6 of the same year, healed of sudden blindness, having believed in the power of Christ, the Georgian king Mirian converted to Orthodoxy. This event was a turning point in the history of Georgia, because after his conversion, the king became a staunch conductor of Orthodoxy in his country.
On October 14, 324 (according to some sources, in 326) in Mtskheta on the Kura River, Bishop John, specially sent for this purpose by Tsar Constantine the Great, baptized the people. Tens of thousands of Georgians were baptized that day. This date is the time of the beginning of the baptism of Georgia. Since that time, Orthodoxy has become the official state religion.
Crosses were erected in the mountains of Kartli to commemorate the victory of Christianity. And in Mtskheta, King Mirian, who laid the foundation for the construction of temples, built the first in the temple history of the country Orthodox church Svetitskhoveli (life-giving pillar), that is, the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles. If you happen to visit Georgia, be sure to visit this temple.
After baptism, she never returned to paganism. Crowned apostates who tried to organize persecution of believers in Christ periodically appeared. But the Georgian people have never retreated from the faith.
Moreover, many facts are known of the mass feat of Georgians in the name of the faith of Christ. well known historical fact when in 1227 the Muslims, headed by the Shahinshah Jalal Ed Din, took Tbilisi and the townspeople were promised the preservation of life in exchange for the desecration of the icons laid out on the bridge across the Kura. 100,000 citizens, including old women and children, ordinary monks and metropolitans, chose death in the name of Christ. There are many such examples in the history of Georgia.
Throughout the history of Orthodoxy in Iberia, she had to endure repeated attempts not only to destroy violently, but also to pervert the purity of the teaching:
- Archbishop Mobidag (434), tried to introduce the heresy of Arianism. However, he was exposed, deprived of power and excommunicated from the Church.
- There were attempts to introduce the heresies of Peter Fullon.
- Albanians (in 650) with their heresy of Manichaeism.
- Monophysites and others.
However, all these attempts were failed, thanks to the Council of Pastors, who harshly condemned heresies, the people who did not accept such attempts, Catholicos Kirion, who forbade believers from any communication with heretics, metropolitans, who stood firm in the faith and enlightened believers.
Georgians, who have managed to defend the purity and piety of their faith for many centuries, have earned the respect of even foreign believers. So the Greek monk Procopius wrote: "The Iberians are the best of Christians, the most strict guardians of the laws and regulations of Orthodoxy."
Today, 85% of Georgians consider themselves Orthodox; the Constitution of the state notes the great role of the Church in its history. This was confirmed once again in his speech by the chairman of the government, Irakli Kobakhidze, who wrote: "The Church has always fought for the freedom of Georgia."
Christianity in Armenia and Georgia
Armenia became Christian earlier than Iveria (adopted Orthodoxy before Russia). In the church of Armenia there are differences from the Orthodoxy of Byzantium on some issues, including ritualism.
Officially, Orthodoxy was established here in 301, thanks to the active preaching work of St. Gregory the Illuminator and Tsar Tridat the Third. The latter previously stood on the positions of paganism and was an ardent persecutor of Christians. He was responsible for the execution of 37 Christian girls who fled from the persecution of the Roman emperor Diocletian, among whom was St. Nino, the future enlightener of Georgia. However, after a series of miraculous events that happened to him, he believed in the Lord and became an active conductor of Christianity among the Armenians.
Some of the existing differences in the dogmas with the Church of Georgia and Russia take their origins in the times of the fourth Ecumenical Council, held in Chalcedon in 451 about the Monophysite heresy of Eutyches.
The Christians of the Armenian Apostolic Church recognize the decisions of only three Ecumenical Councils, due to the fact that Armenians did not participate in the fourth, since the war prevented their arrival. But it was at the Fourth Council that rather significant dogmas of Christianity concerning the heresy of Monophysitism were adopted.
Having abandoned the decisions of the past Council due to the absence of their representatives, the Armenians actually went into monophysitism, and for the Orthodox, the denial of the dual unity of the nature of Christ is a fall into heresy.
Also the differences are as follows:
- in the celebration of the Eucharist.
- Produced in the Catholic manner, the execution of the cross.
- Differences of some holidays by dates.
- Use in worship, as in Catholics, organ.
- Differences in the interpretation of the essence of the "Holy Fire".
In 491, at the local council in Vagharshapat, the Georgians also abandoned the decisions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council. The reason for this step was the vision of a return to Nestorianism in the resolutions of the Fourth Council on the two natures of Christ. However, in 607, the decisions of 491 were revised, they were abandoned, relations with the Armenian Church, which continued to stand on its former positions, were broken.
Autocephaly, that is, the administrative independence of the church, was obtained at the end of the fifth century under the ruler of Iveria, Vakhtang Gorgasali. John Okropiri (980-1001) became the first head of the united church of Georgia, Catholicos-Patriarch. After joining Russia in the 19th century, the Georgian Church became part of the Russian Church, losing its autocephaly.
This situation lasted until 1917, when everything returned to its former places and the autocephaly of the GOC was restored. In 1943, it was officially recognized by the Moscow Patriarchate, and on March 3, 1990, by the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Today, in the diptych of the Churches, it ranks first after the Russian Orthodox Church. The head of the Georgian Orthodox Church is the Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II.
Georgian and Russian Orthodoxy are no different. Only politicians try to quarrel brothers in faith. For this, any reason is used, up to attempts to change the name of the country. So the word Sakrtvelo is translated from Georgian into Russian, like Georgia, and the indigenous people inhabiting the country are called Georgians. These names in a slightly modified form have been used in the languages of other peoples for centuries.
However, today some pseudo-patriotic Georgian politicians find Russian influence in these names. Referring to the fact that in the West many people call Georgia Georgian or Georgia, which, in their opinion, is more correct, since the traditionally accepted familiar names are associated with the fact that Georgia is part of Russia. Such statements allow themselves to be voiced by some leaders in the government of the state.
However, Orthodoxy takes an active part in the internal life of the country and plays an important role. This is evidenced by only one fact that on significant Orthodox holidays the state announces pardons for convicts. It has become an annual tradition to conduct the rite of baptism personally by the Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II. This event takes place on October 14, in memory of the baptism of Georgians by Bishop John in October 324 in Kura. A book has been published, which contains photographs of tens of thousands of godchildren of the patriarch. If you want your child to become the godson of the patriarch, then try to come here by this time.
The Old Believers feel quite comfortable here. About twenty of their communities are located in the country. Jurisdictionally, they belong to the Russian Orthodox old believer church in Romania (Zugdi diocese) and Russian Drevl Orthodox Church.
The Georgian Orthodox Church has 36 dioceses headed by 36 Georgian metropolitans. Patriarchates are located in Mtskheta and Tbilisi. In addition to the dioceses located within the state, there are six foreign dioceses, which include:
- Western European with a chair in Brussels.
- Anglo-Irish, the department is located in London.
- Diocese of Eastern Europe.
- Canadian and North American with a chair in Los Angeles.
- Diocese in South America.
- Australian.
The GOC is called the Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church. In international transcription - Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church.
Georgian Orthodox Church: a brief background
The Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church is an integral part of the Ecumenical Orthodox Church and is in dogmatic unity, canonical and liturgical communion with all Local Orthodox Churches.
Christian life in Georgia began in apostolic times. The news of Christ was carried here by His direct witnesses, among whom were the Apostles Andrew the First-Called, Simon the Zealot and Bartholomew. In the Tradition of the Georgian Church, St. Andrew the First-Called is honored as the first bishop of Georgia, and the memory is also kept of the fact that the Most Holy Theotokos herself sent the apostle to preach in Iveria.
Already in the 4th century, the eastern Georgian kingdom of Kartli officially adopted Christianity. The baptism of Georgia in 326, during the reign of King Mirian, is associated with the preaching of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina, who came to Georgia from Cappadocia. Nina's activities are mentioned not only in hagiographic works, but also in many Greek, Latin, Georgian, Armenian and Coptic historical sources.
Since the 5th century, independent Georgia, located at the epicenter of the confrontation between Byzantium and Persia, has been constantly subjected to devastating attacks by the Persians, for refusing to renounce Christ, kings, clergy and laity are martyred.
At the same time, from the early centuries, the Church of Georgia took part in the affirmation of the doctrine: Georgian bishops were already present at the Third and Fourth Ecumenical Councils. All subsequent centuries, Georgian theologians, located on the border different cultures and religions, were forced to conduct an active debate, defending the Orthodox teaching of the Church.
During the reign of King Vakhtang Gorgosali (446–506), the Georgian Church, previously part of the Church of Antioch, received autocephaly (independence), and an archbishop with the title of Catholicos was placed at the head of the hierarchy. From Cappadocia to Georgia comes the holy ascetic Saint John, later called Zedazne, with his twelve followers; his disciples not only establish the monastic tradition in Georgia, but also bring the mission of Christian preaching to towns and villages, build churches and monasteries, and establish new dioceses.
This period of prosperity is replaced by a new period of martyrdom: in the 8th century, Arabs invade Georgia. But the spiritual upsurge of the people could not be broken, it manifested itself in the national-creative movement, inspired not only by the kings and patriarchs, but also by the ascetic monks. One of these fathers was St. Gregory of Khandztia.
In the X-XI centuries, the period of church construction and the development of hymnography and art began, the Iberian Monastery was founded on Athos, thanks to the elders and inhabitants of this monastery, Greek theological literature was translated into Georgian.
In 1121, the holy king David the Builder, who paid great attention to church organization and received support from the Church, defeated the Seljuk Turks in the battle of Didgori with an army. This victory completes the unification of the country and begins the "golden age" Georgian history.
At this time, the active work of the Georgian Church unfolded outside the state, in the Holy Land, in Asia Minor and Alexandria.
In the XIII and XIV centuries, a new period of trials began for the Christians of Georgia, now under the onslaught of the Mongols. Khan Jalal ad-Din, having conquered Tbilisi, literally flooded it with blood, monasteries and temples were defiled and destroyed, thousands of Christians were martyred. After the raids of Tamerlane, entire cities and dioceses disappeared; according to historians, there were significantly more killed Georgians than those who survived. With all this, the Church was not paralyzed - in the 15th century, Metropolitans Gregory and John were present at the Ferrara-Florence Council, they not only refused to sign a union with Catholicism, but also openly denounced its deviation from the conciliar teaching of the Church.
In the 80s of the XV century, united Georgia broke up into three kingdoms - Kartli, Kakheti and Imereti. In a state of fragmentation under the constant attacks of Persia, the Ottoman Empire and the raids of the Dagestan tribes, the Church continued to carry out its ministry, although it became more and more difficult to do so.
The southwestern part of Georgia, conquered by the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, was forcibly Islamized, the practice of Christianity was severely persecuted, all dioceses were abolished, and churches were rebuilt into mosques.
The 17th century was also devastating for Georgia, “the century of the royal martyrs and the multitude of the slain”. The punitive campaigns of the Persian Shah Abbas I were aimed at the complete destruction of Kartli and Kakheti. At this time, two-thirds of the Georgian population was killed.
The number of dioceses has decreased even more. But Georgia continued to find the strength to resist, and the Church, represented by the Catholicos and the best bishops, called the kings and the people to unity. In 1625, the commander Giorgi Saakadze defeated the 30,000-strong Persian army. It was during this period that the concept of "Georgian" became equal to the concept of "Orthodox", and those who converted to Islam were no longer called Georgians, they were called "Tatars".
In these difficult years, both statesmen and hierarchs of the Church sought support from the Orthodox Russian Empire, which had reached its might. Active negotiations in St. Petersburg were led by Catholicos-Patriarch Anthony I (Bagrationi).
In 1783, the Georgievsky Treaty was signed in the North Caucasus, according to which Georgia, in exchange for Russia's support, partially renounced internal independence and completely independent foreign policy.
The endless blows of Persia and Turkey, although they did not suppress, but in many respects paralyzed the intellectual and social life of the Church - it was no longer possible to support the spiritual centers belonging to Georgia both in Georgia itself and on Mount Athos and the Holy Land. Educational institutions did not function, a large number of the clergy were physically destroyed. But at the same time, the spiritual life did not impoverish - in the monasteries of Georgia, many venerable fathers - hesychasts labored.
In 1811, as part of an active policy of introducing Georgia into the Russian Empire, where the Church had been in a state-subordinate position for a hundred years, and the patriarchate was abolished, the Georgian Church also lost its freedom and autocephaly. An Exarchate was established on its territory, the status of the Catholicos was reduced to an exarch (archbishop of Kartli and Kakheti), over time, exarchs began to be supplied from among the Russian episcopate.
It was an ambiguous period for the Georgian Church. On the one hand, the punitive campaigns of militant Muslim neighbors stopped, educational institutions were restored, the clergy began to receive salaries, a mission was organized in Ossetia, but at the same time, the Georgian Church was completely subordinate to the Russian Synod and the policy of the Empire, clearly aimed at all-Russian unification. At this time, the rich ancient traditions of hymnography, icon painting, and church art began to disappear from Georgian everyday life, and the veneration of many Georgian saints came to naught.
After the February events of 1917, in March, a Council was held in Svetitskhoveli, at which the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church was proclaimed; a little later, in September, Kirion III was elected Patriarch. And already in 1921, the Red Army entered Georgia and Soviet power was established. For the Church, representatives of the clergy and believers throughout the territory Soviet Union trials and reprisals began. Churches were closed everywhere, confession of faith was persecuted by the Soviet state.
In a difficult time for Russians and Georgians, in the midst of repressions, devastation and disasters, in 1943 the Local Russian and Georgian Churches restored eucharistic communion and trusting relationships.
In 1977 patriarchal throne Georgia was occupied by Catholicos Ilia II. His active ministry, which attracted the young Georgian intelligentsia to the ranks of the clergy and monastics, fell on the years of the fall of the Soviet Union, the independence of Georgia, a series of fratricidal wars and armed conflicts.
At present, there are 35 dioceses in Georgia with ruling bishops, and prayers to God are offered up in Georgian parishes all over the world. The patriarch, like his best predecessors in history, went through all the trials together with his people, which earned him unheard of authority in Georgia.
This text is an introductory piece. From the book History. Russian history. Grade 10. Deep level. Part 2 author Lyashenko Leonid Mikhailovich§ 71. Russian Orthodox Church Orthodox Church. The church continued to play an important role in the life of the state. On the one hand, Orthodoxy was the official religion, and the church was one of the government tools of ideological influence on the population
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the author Vachnadze MerabThe Georgian Church in the 4th-12th centuries After Christianity was declared the state religion in the 4th century, the Georgian Orthodox Church began to play a significant role in the life of the Georgian people and the Georgian state. All important events that took place in Georgia, found
From the book History of Georgia (from ancient times to the present day) the author Vachnadze MerabThe Georgian Church in the XIII-XV centuries The Georgian Church has always played an important role in the life of the Georgian people. Particular importance was attached to the church in a period of severe trials. It served not only as a moral and spiritual stimulus for the Georgian people, but was also the only force
From the book History of Georgia (from ancient times to the present day) the author Vachnadze MerabThe Georgian Church in the 16th-18th centuries of the 16th-18th centuries is one of the most difficult periods in the history of Georgia. In the fierce struggle of the Georgian people for their salvation from physical and spiritual degeneration, the church has always been there and has played a huge role. Spiritual persons
From the book by Danilo Galitsky author Zgurskaya Maria PavlovnaBrief biographical note of Denmark?l (Dani?lo) Roma?novich Galitsky (1201–1264) - prince (and from 1254 king) of the Galicia-Volyn lands, politician, diplomat and commander, son of Prince Roman Mstislavich, from Galician branch of the Rurik family. In 1205 it became a formal
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From the book Orthodoxy, heterodoxy, heterodoxy [Essays on the history of the religious diversity of the Russian Empire] author Wert Paul W.From Catholicos to Exarch: The Georgian Church after the Accession
Georgia(cargo. საქართველო , Sakartvelo) is a state located in Western Asia and the Middle East, in the western part of Transcaucasia on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. Georgia borders Armenia and Turkey in the south, Azerbaijan in the southeast and Russia in the east and north. The capital is Tbilisi. Official language- Georgian.
Largest cities
- Batumi
- Kutaisi
Georgian Orthodox Church
Georgian Orthodox Church (official name: Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church, cargo. საქართველოს სამოციქულო ავტოკეფალური მართლმადიდებელი ეკლესია ) is an autocephalous local Orthodox Church, which has the sixth place in the diptychs of the Slavic local Churches and the ninth in the diptychs of the ancient Eastern patriarchates. One of the oldest Christian churches in the world. Jurisdiction extends to the territory of Georgia and to all Georgians, wherever they live, as well as to the territory of partially recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia and to the north of Turkey. According to a legend based on an ancient Georgian manuscript, Georgia is the apostolic lot of the Mother of God. In 337, through the labors of St. Nina Equal to the Apostles, Christianity became the state religion of Georgia. The church organization was within the boundaries of the Antiochian Church. The issue of obtaining autocephaly by the Georgian church is a difficult one. According to the historian of the Georgian church, priest Kirill Tsintsadze, the Georgian Church enjoyed de facto independence from the time of King Mirian, but received full autocephaly only in the 5th century from the Council convened by Patriarch Peter III of Antioch.
Article 9 of the Constitution of Georgia states: "The state recognizes the exceptional role of the Georgian Orthodox Church in the history of Georgia and at the same time proclaims complete freedom of religious beliefs and beliefs, the independence of the church from the state."
Story
Early period
According to Georgian legendary history, Georgia is the apostolic lot of the Mother of God.
Shortly after this event, the Apostle Andrew went to preach Christianity. First, he went north from Palestine, then turned east, reached the city of Trebizond, which at that time was within the boundaries of Egrisi (modern Mingrelia), after preaching the Gospel there, he moved to Iberia, to the land of Did-Adchara.
There the apostle converted many people to Christianity by preaching and performing miracles and baptized them. According to the story of Tsarevich Vakhushti, the son of King Vakhtang V, a healing spring opened at the place where the Apostle Andrew placed the icon of the Mother of God. Having installed priests and deacons for the newly converted Christians, having built a temple in honor of the Mother of God and establishing church order, the apostle left them.
Before the departure of St. Andrew from that land, the new converts asked him to leave the icon of the Mother of God, but the apostle did not agree to such a request, but ordered to make a board, the size of this icon, and bring it to him. When the board was ready, he put it on the icon of the Mother of God, and the icon was fully depicted on the board. The apostle gave the Christians a new image, which they placed in their new church. Then St. Andrew went to other lands.
Having crossed the mountain called the mountain of the Iron Cross, and the Dzakhi gorge, he entered the limits of Samtskhe and stopped in the village of Zaden-gora. From here he went to the city of Atskuri, called in ancient times Sosangeti. Having reached Atskuri, the apostle chose one house near the main temple of the city and settled in it. At that time there reigned a widow who had an only son, whom she loved more than anything in the world, who was the only heir to her kingdom. Unfortunately, the widow's son died shortly before the arrival of the apostle in Atskuri.
According to legend, during the stay of the Apostle Andrew in Atskuri, several miracles occurred - the main of which is the resurrection of the widow's son and the destruction of statues of pagan gods. Then, having appointed a bishop, priests and deacons as new converts, Saint Andrew wanted to go to other countries, but the empress and her subjects asked Andrew not to leave them, or else leave them the miraculous icon of the Mother of God. The icon left by St. Andrew was placed in a new church erected in honor of the Mother of God.
Soon after the events described, Andrei went to Nigli, Klarjeti and Artan-Pankola, where, after a long sermon, he converted the inhabitants of those places to Christianity and baptized them. Then he returned to Jerusalem for the Passover feast.
After Pentecost, Saint Andrew took with him the Apostle Simon the Zealot, Matthew, Thaddeus and others. With them, he initially went to King Abgar, where, having preached the word of God and baptized the inhabitants, he left the Apostle Thaddeus for approval. new church. Others, bypassing the cities and villages of Cappadocia and Pontus with the sermon, finally reached Kartli (Kartalinskaya countries) (Iveria). Further, they passed part of the Mtiuleti land to the Chorokhi River.
Then the apostles visited Svaneti, during the reign of the dowager queen, the wife of the murdered Pontic king Polamon Pythodora, who, with many subjects, converted to Christianity and was baptized by Andrew himself. In Svaneti, the Apostle Matthew remained with the queen with other disciples to confirm the newly enlightened in Christianity, as Blessed Jerome testifies to this. From Svaneti, Andrei, together with Simon Kananit, went to Ossetia, where he reached the city of Fostaphora. Here the apostles converted many to Christianity. Leaving Ossetia, they went to Abkhazia and reached the city of Sevasti (now Sukhumi), where they also converted many. Here Andrew left the Apostle Simon the Zealot with others to confirm the new converts, while he himself went to the land of the Djikets. The Jiquets did not accept Christianity, and, moreover, the apostle himself was almost killed. Leaving them, Andrey went to Upper Suadag.
The inhabitants of Upper Suadag adopted religion from the apostle. From here he went to the upper shores of the Black Sea, visiting cities and villages, and finally reached the city of Patras in Ahai, where he died on the cross from the Anfipat Aegeat in 55.
The faith preached by St. Andrew and the apostles who remained after his departure, began to take root among the people. Aderki, or Farsman I, who reigned in Kartli (Iberia) three years before our era and ruled the country for sixty-three years, heard that his subjects had converted from paganism to Christianity, and began persecuting Christians. Many of them during this persecution were martyred along with the Apostle Simon the Zealot. Christianity, apparently suppressed by the fury of the king, in reality was still not defeated: there were Christians hiding in the mountains and forests, who had places of common meetings and prayers. Soon the grave of Simon Kananit, located in the mountains of Abkhazia near Sukhumi, became the subject of deep reverence.
Since the time of this persecution for almost half a century, Iberia no longer received preachers of Christianity from anywhere and had no leaders who would confirm the new converts in their confession.
Already in the hundredth year, the Hieromartyr Clement, Bishop of Rome, exiled by Emperor Trajan to the deserted places of Taurida, helped many Colchisians to remain faithful to Christianity by performing miracles and teachings. According to Mikhail Sabinin, among the seventy churches built by the saint during his lifetime on the shores of the Black Sea, there was Colchis.
Meanwhile, the final affirmation of Christianity and the fact that it became the dominant religion was the fruit of the long-term and zealous preaching of the apostle of all, the holy educator, blessed mother Nina.
Christianity as the state religion
In the period between 318 and 337, most likely in 324-326. Through the labors of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina, Christianity became the state religion of Georgia. The church organization was within the boundaries of the Antiochian Church.
In 451, together with the Armenian Church, it did not accept the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon and in 467, under King Vakhtang I, it became independent from Antioch, acquiring the status of an autocephalous Church with its center in Mtskheta (the residence of the Supreme Catholicos). In 607, the Church adopted the decisions of Chalcedon, violating the canonical unity with the Armenian Apostolic Church..
Under the Sassanids (VI-VII centuries) it withstood the struggle with the Persian fire-worshippers, and during the period of the Turkish conquests (XVI-XVIII centuries) - with Islam. This exhausting struggle led to the decline of Georgian Orthodoxy and the loss of churches and monasteries in the Holy Land.
In 1744, the Georgian Church underwent reforms similar to the reforms of Patriarch Nikon in Russia.
Georgian Exarchate of the Russian Church
In 1801 Georgia became part of the Russian Empire. According to the project developed by the chief managing general A.P. Tormasov and presented to Alexander I in 1811, in Eastern Georgia, instead of 13 dioceses, 2 were established: Mtskheta-Kartala and Alaverdi-Kakheti. On June 21, 1811, the Holy Synod removed Catholicos-Patriarch Anthony II from his post.
From June 30, 1811 to March 1917 (de facto) the Church in Georgia had the status of the Georgian Exarchate Russian Church; The title of Catholicos was abolished. On July 8, 1811, Varlaam (Eristavi) became the first exarch (August 30, 1814 - May 14, 1817;
By the end of the 1810s, the Abkhaz Catholicosate, which was included in the Georgian Exarch, was also abolished.
After Varlaam (Eristavi), exarchs were appointed from non-Georgian bishops, which often led to friction with the local clergy and excesses, such as the murder of Exarch Nikon (Sofia) on May 28, 1908 in the building of the Georgian-Imereti Synodal Office.
Restoration of autocephaly. Newest period
On March 12 (March 25), 1917, the autocephaly of the Georgian Church was proclaimed at the Mtskheta Council; Bishop of Guria-Mingrelian Leonid (Okropidze) was elected guardian of the throne of the Catholicos. On March 13, the latter notified the Exarch of Georgia, Archbishop of Kartalo-Kakheti Platon (Rozhdestvensky), of his removal from the see, which was not recognized by the Russian Orthodox Church.
On March 27, 1917, the Provisional Government recognized the autocephaly of the Georgian Church in principle. On July 10, 1917, a joint meeting of the Provisional Government and the Synod decided to establish the Caucasian Exarchate for the voluntary entry into it of the Russian parishes of Tiflis, Elizavetpol, Baku, Erivan, Kutaisi, Black Sea provinces and Kars, Batum regions, Artvinsky, Zakatala and Sukhumi districts. Feofilakt (Klementiev), who was soon removed from Georgia by the Georgian bishops, was appointed bishop in Tiflis.
Moscow Patriarch Tikhon, in his message of December 29, 1917 to Catholicos Kirion II (Sadzaglishvili), elected at the Council in September 1917, condemned the unauthorized nature of the restoration of the autocephaly of the more ancient Georgian Church. Communication between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Georgian Church was interrupted.
In 1927, the Georgian Church switched to the New Julian calendar, but due to pressure from the faithful, it had to “postpone” its decision.
Communion was officially restored by the Resolution of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on November 19, 1943.
In 1997, the Georgian Orthodox Church withdrew from the World Council of Churches.
Primate since December 23, 1977 - His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi and Metropolitan of Pitsunda and Tskhum-Abkhazeti Ilia II.
The church consists of 35 dioceses uniting about 300 communities; The Abkhaz diocese after 1992 is not de facto part of the Georgian Church. There is also a canonical unsettledness in South Ossetia, where, according to Catholicos Ilia II, "representatives of the Russian Church Abroad are present."
Relations with the Moscow Patriarchate
The official representative of the Moscow Patriarchate, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, in August 2008, in connection with the military conflict in Georgia, stated: "Political the decisions do not define questions of ecclesiastical jurisdictions and spheres of pastoral responsibility. These issues should be resolved on the canonical field in the course of dialogue between the two Churches.”
On November 9, 2008, the Chairman of the DECR MP, Metropolitan (now Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia) Kirill, in an interview with the Vesti channel, said, in particular, about the Alan diocese: "Need to say that this is not just a diocese, as it were, schismatic, but the fact is that the head of this diocese received episcopal ordination from the Greek Old Calendarists. [- This is also an unrecognized hierarchy] Quite right, from the so-called Kipriyanov Synod. All the activities of this synod in relation to Russia are aimed at weakening the Russian Orthodox Church. And what happens: on the one hand, Russian soldiers shed their blood for the Ossetian people, in order to defend South Ossetia, and on the other hand, the spiritual leaders of this country are under the jurisdiction of the schismatic church, which sets its main goal to destroy the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church. But that doesn't happen either. Therefore, the first thing to be done is, of course, to resolve the issue with this schismatic jurisdiction.”
On September 12, 2009, during a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club, the position of the Moscow Patriarchate on the issue of the territory of the Georgian Church was confirmed by the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the MP, Archbishop Hilarion (Alfeev) of Volokolamsk.
The Saints
shrines
temples
Trinity Church (Gergeti)
The Trinity Church in Gergeti (Georgian გერგეტის წმინდა სამება, Gergetis Tsminda Sameba) is located at an altitude of 2,170 m at the foot of Kazbek along the Georgian Military Highway in the Georgian village of Tergeti directly on the right bank of Stemindayol settlement (Gergeti settlement)
Built in the 14th century, the shrine is the only cross-domed church in the Khevi region. Near the temple, a medieval bell tower has been preserved.
In Soviet times, the church was closed, now it has been returned to the Georgian Orthodox Church. Popular with tourists.
Directions: If you decide to climb Kazbek, then the route runs right past the temple. So it's kind of a free cultural app. Climbers have a habit of having their first overnight stay here in order to adapt to the altitude.
The Church of the Holy Trinity in Gergeti can be reached on foot on foot. Don't let its height scare you, if you are ready to spend an hour or two climbing and your physical form allows you to do it, then why not? The hike to the top takes about three hours. You will need to go through the village of Gergeti, wind along a small, harmless forest serpentine, sometimes cutting off the road with trampled paths, and climb to the top along the path that goes up at a steep angle.
Svetitskhoveli (Mtskheta)
Among the surviving historical buildings, Svetitskhoveli (Georgian სვეტიცხოველი - life-giving pillar) is the largest in Georgia. For centuries it has been the center of Christian Georgia. Back in the 4th century, King Mirian III, who converted to Christianity, on the advice of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina, built the first wooden church which has not survived to this day.
One of the foundations of the temple was a cedar, which marked the burial place of the robe of Christ. In the second half of the 5th century, the pious king Vakhtang I Gorgasal built a basilica on the site of this church, the upper foundations of which were uncovered by Soviet researchers (headed by V. Tsintsadze) in the 1970s. and left for public viewing.
In the 11th century, on the site of the damaged basilica, the Catholicos of Georgia Melkizedek I (1012-1030, 1039-1045) erected a church. The currently existing cross-domed four-pillared three-nave church in the name of the Twelve Apostles was built from 1010 to 1029 under the supervision of the architect Arsakidze (mentioned in the inscription on the facade).
Address: Located in the southeastern part of Mtskheta, in the ancient center of the city
Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Batumi)
The temple was erected in 1898-1903 by Stepan Zubalashvili in memory of the deceased mother Elizabeth, who asked to be built in Batumi catholic church. Stepan invited artists and architects from Italy to build. In total, the construction cost 250 thousand rubles.
During the years of Soviet power, the temple was threatened with destruction. Among those who spoke in his defense was the writer Konstantin Gamsakhurdia. Director Tengiz Abuladze made the film "Repentance" based on this story. As a result, the building survived and was used for different purposes in different years: there was a high voltage laboratory, an archive and other institutions.
In the 1970s, the temple was restored, and in the 1980s it was transferred to the Georgian Orthodox Church. On May 16, 1989, the Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II consecrated the temple, after which about 5 thousand people were baptized.
By order of the Minister of Culture and Monuments Protection No. 3/31 dated February 21, 2011, the cathedral was included in the list of cultural heritage sites, historical and cultural monuments of Batumi.
Currently, the temple is the current cathedral of the Batumi and Laz diocese of the Georgian Orthodox Church.
Address: Georgia, Batumi, st. Chavchavadze, 25
Monasteries
Gelati Monastery of the Mother of God (Kutaisi)
The monastery was founded by King David IV the Builder in 1106 and became his tomb. The cathedral church was built until 1125 and for another five years it was decorated with mosaics, which are considered the best in all of Transcaucasia. At that time the monastery was the seat of the Gelati Academy, whose members were keenly interested in ancient Greek philosophy.
In the 13th century, the churches of St. Nicholas and St. George, as well as a three-tier belfry. Murals belong to different periods of Georgian history, from the 12th to the 18th centuries; portrait images of crowned persons are especially noteworthy. Previously, many valuable icons and objects of applied art were preserved in the monastery; in Soviet times they were confiscated and distributed among museums.
Address: Georgia, Gelati (11 km from Kutaisi).
Directions: The monastery is located a little away from the Kutaisi-Tkibuli highway. The turn has a pointer. From the highway you have to go along a winding road for about three kilometers. In front of the entrance there is a parking lot and several stalls with souvenirs.
David Gareji Monastery
A Brief History of the Georgian Orthodox Church
In the Caucasus, between the Black and Caspian Seas, there is a country of ancient history and culture - Georgia. At the same time, Georgia is one of the oldest Christian countries in the world. The Georgian people joined the teachings of Christ in the first century, by lot, which was to show where and in what country the apostles should preach the faith of Christ, by lot, Georgia fell to the Most Holy Theotokos. Therefore, Georgia is considered the chosen country of the Most Holy Theotokos, who is the patroness of the country.
By the will of the Savior, the Mother of God remained in Jerusalem, and St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called, who brought with him the miraculous image of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Holy Apostle went to the country that kept the great Old Testament shrine - the mantle of the Prophet Elijah, which was brought by the Jews persecuted by Nebuchadnezzar and the greatest shrine of Christianity - the unsewn chiton of our Lord Jesus Christ, which, after the crucifixion, the Jewish witness Elioz brought to the Kartli capital Mtskheta, where he lived.
In apostolic times, there were two Georgian states on the territory of modern Georgia: the eastern Georgian-Kartli (Greek Iberia), the western Georgian Egrisi (Greek Colchis). Apostle Andrew preached both in Eastern and Western Georgia. In the settlement of Atskveri (Kartli), after preaching and converting people, he left the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, which for many centuries was in the Cathedral of Atskveri (Atskuri).
In Western Georgia, together with the Apostle Andrew, the teachings of Christ were preached by the Apostle Simon the Zealot, who was buried there, in the village of Komany. The Georgian land received another apostle, St. Matthias; he preached in southwestern Georgia and is buried in Gonio, near present-day Batumi. The most ancient Georgian sources point to the presence of the apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus in Eastern Georgia.
The arrival and preaching of St. Apostles in Georgia are confirmed by both local Georgian chronicles and Greek and Latin church authors: Origen (2nd-3rd centuries), Dorotheus, Bishop of Tire (4th century), Epiphanes, Bishop of Cyprus (4th century), Nikita Paphlagonian (9th century), Ekumen (10th century), and others.
It is not surprising that the sermon of St. the apostles did not go unnoticed. In Georgia, 1-3 centuries. the existence of Christian churches and communities is confirmed by archaeological materials. In the works of Irenaeus of Lyons (2nd century), Iberians (Georgians) are mentioned among the Christian peoples.
Christianity became the state religion in Kartli in the 4th century. This significant event in Georgian history is associated with Equal-to-the-Apostles St. Nino, Enlightener of Georgia, with St. King Mirian and St. queen Nana.
A native of Cappadocia, a close relative of St. George, St. Nino in Kartli from Jerusalem, in fulfillment of the will of St. Virgin, after St. apostles once again preached and strengthened Christianity in this region. By the grace and power of St. Nino, King Mirian and Queen Nana accepted Christianity.
At the request of Tsar Mirian, the Byzantine emperor Constantine the Great sent clerics under the guidance of Bishop John to baptize the king, his family and people. Before the arrival of the clergy, in Mtskheta, where the tunic of the Lord rested, the construction of the church began. This place is and will always be the center of the spiritual life of the Georgian nation. Here is the cathedral church in honor of the 12 apostles-Svetitskhoveli.
After the official adoption of Christianity, Emperor St. Constantine and St. Helena sent a part to Georgia life-giving cross and the board on which the Lord stood during the crucifixion, as well as the icon of the Savior.
The Georgian Church dates the arrival of clerics to the kingdom and the baptism of the country in 326. This date is confirmed by the 5th century historian Sosimon Salamansky, author of the chronicle "Church History", which indicates that the official adoption of Christianity in Georgia was immediately after the end of the 1st Ecumenical Council (325).
As for Western Georgia, here the spread of Christianity and the existence of the church in the 1st half of the 4th century is indisputable, which is confirmed by the participation of Bishop Stratophilus of Bichvinta at the Nicaea Ecumenical Council.
Since that time, Georgia and its church have firmly taken the path of Christianity and have always unwaveringly defended the Orthodox teaching. Byzantine historian, 6th c. Procopius of Caesarea remarks that "the Iberians are Christians and observe the rules of faith better than anyone we know."
From the time of the adoption of Christianity (and before), the Georgian people for centuries had to fight almost constantly against external enemies-conquerors. Persians and Arabs, Seljuk Turks and Khorezmians, Mongols and Ottoman Turks, along with the conquest of the country, they tried to destroy the Christian religion. The Georgian people, in the hardest struggle, were able to preserve statehood and defend Orthodoxy. For centuries, the struggle for statehood was identified with the struggle for Orthodoxy. For the faith of Christ, many people, both clergy and citizens, were martyred.
World history does not know such an example of self-sacrifice, when at the same time 100,000 people accepted the crown of martyrdom. Residents of the capital of Georgia - Tbilisi, refused to follow the order of Khorezm Shah Jalal-ed-Din - to go through and desecrate the icons laid on the bridge. Men, children and the elderly were executed.
This happened in 1226. In 1386 Tamerlane's horde destroyed the nuns of the Kvabtahevsky monastery. In 1616, during the invasion of Shah Abbas, 6,000 monks of the David Gareji monastery were martyred.
Among the glorified saints of the Georgian Church there are many worldly people, rulers who, with their patriotism, heroism and Christian self-sacrifice, set an example for us. Tortured (Princes David and Konstantin Mkheidze (VIII century), King Archil (VI- century), Tsar Demetrius II (XIII century), killed by the Mongols, King Luarsab II (XVII), who died at the hands of the Persians, and Queen Ketevani (XVII), tortured by the Persians, is not a complete list of these saints.
Since the proclamation of Christianity as the state religion, the Georgian Church, despite tragic story country, has always been engaged in restorative and educational affairs. The territory of the country is full of churches and monasteries.
Only in honor of St. Giorgi, who always enjoyed the respect of the people and was considered the patron saint of Georgians, hundreds of churches were built.
Many churches and monasteries became educational centers.
In the XII century, the great Georgian king David IV founded the Gelati monastery (near the city of Kutaisi), and with him an academy, which in all Orthodox world was recognized as the greatest theological and scientific school. At the same time, the second well-known academy, Ikalta, also operated. David is also associated with the convocation in 1103 of the Ruiss-Urbniss church cathedral, which considered the most important issues in the life of the country and the church. Starting from the 5th century, when Georgian hagiographic works (the life of St. Nino, the martyrdom of Shushanik) were created, the Georgian people created a unique literature. Let's especially note Christian art. Over the centuries, based on folk traditions, civil and temple architecture has developed, many examples of which are recognized as the best monuments of world art. Together with temple architecture, monumental painting - fresco, mosaic - received a brilliant development. In the general evolution of Byzantine painting, a Georgian fresco occupied a worthy place.
Georgians built churches and monasteries not only in Georgia, but also in Palestine, Syria, Cyprus, Bulgaria. From this side, the Holy Cross Monastery in Jerusalem (now under the jurisdiction of the Jerusalem Patriarchate), the monastery of St. James (under the jurisdiction of the Armenian Church), Iviron on Mount Athos (the history of miraculous icon Mother of God), Petritsoni in Bulgaria.
At various times, famous Georgian theologians, philosophers, writers and translators Peter Iber, Ephraim the Small, Euthymius and Giorgi Svyatogortsy, John Petritsi and others worked in Georgia and abroad.
The restoration of the rights of the Georgian population in Jerusalem during the time of Muslim rule is connected with Georgia and its king George V. Liberator from the Mongol yoke and recreator of the integrity of the country, Tsar George V enjoyed great prestige not only in the country, but also abroad.
In 1811, the Russian Imperial Court illegally abolished the autocephaly of the Georgian Church, abolished the patriarchal rule, and, with the rights of an exarchate, subordinated the Georgian Church to the Synod of the Russian Church. In 1917, in March, the autocephaly of the Church was restored, and patriarchal rule was introduced. After the restoration of autocephaly, the well-known figure of the church Kirion II was elected the first Catholicos-Patriarch.
In 1989, the Georgian Autocephalous Church, which had existed since the 5th century, was confirmed by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
From 1977 to the present, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilya II has been the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, the Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi.
