Georgia.
Georgia is a majority-Orthodox nation whose Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church traces its roots to the 4th-century mission of St. Nino and stands at the heart of Georgian culture and identity.
Orthodoxy in
Georgia.
A living tradition — its history, its faithful, its sacred places.
Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Georgia
Georgia is one of the oldest Christian nations in the world. According to sacred tradition, the faith was first preached in the land of the Iberians and Colchians by the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, and was firmly established in the 4th century through the labors of Saint Nino of Cappadocia, equal-to-the-apostles. Saint Nino healed Queen Nana and, after King Mirian III was lost in darkness on a hunt and saw the light only after invoking "Nino's God," the king declared Christianity the official religion of the Kingdom of Iberia around AD 326.
Autocephaly and jurisdictional history
The Church of Georgia received autocephaly from the Patriarchate of Antioch in the 5th century, and by the 11th century its primate bore the title Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. After the Russian annexation of the Georgian kingdoms, the church was placed under the synodal administration of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1811 and its autocephaly was abolished. Georgian ecclesiastical independence was reestablished during the Russian Revolution in 1917; the Moscow Patriarchate formally recognized this autocephaly in 1943, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople recognized both the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church and the patriarchal dignity of its Catholicos on 25 January 1990.
The Soviet period and revival
The Church endured severe persecution under Soviet rule in the 1920s and 1930s, with the closure of most monasteries and the execution or imprisonment of many clergy. Despite this, the Georgian Church retained its distinct identity and institutional continuity. Following independence in 1991, the Church experienced a dramatic revival of monasticism, theological education, and parish life.
The Church today
The Georgian Orthodox Church, officially the Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia, is the dominant religious body in the country. Under the long episcopacy of His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (1977–2026), the Church played a central role in rebuilding national religious life. A concordat with the Georgian state signed in 2002 recognizes the Church's special historical role, while the constitution guarantees religious freedom for all.
Faithful and structure
The Church is organized into dozens of eparchies across Georgia and the diaspora, with notable communities in Russia, Ukraine, Greece, the United States, and Western Europe. Its heartland is the ancient city of Mtskheta, the historical seat of the Catholicos, where the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral has stood for over a millennium. In the capital, Tbilisi, the monumental Sameba (Holy Trinity) Cathedral, consecrated in 2004, is the principal cathedral of the patriarch.
Canonical status: Autocephalous, ninth in the diptychs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Liturgical language: Georgian, using a rich native hymnographic tradition.
Primatial title: Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi.
Saints of
Georgia.
3 venerated souls with ties to this land — fathers and mothers of the faith who are remembered here still.
Famous Orthodox churches and monasteries in Georgia
The sacred architecture of Orthodox Georgia — cathedrals, parishes, and the mountain monasteries that keep the lamps burning.
- Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Mtskheta — An 11th-century cathedral dedicated to the Twelve Apostles and long the coronation and burial church of the Georgian kings; a UNESCO World Heritage Site and, by tradition, the resting place of the Robe of Christ.
- Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi (Sameba) — The main cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church, consecrated in 2004 in the capital Tbilisi; it is the seat of the Catholicos-Patriarch and one of the largest Orthodox cathedrals in the world.
- Jvari Monastery, Mtskheta — A 6th-century cross-domed church built on the hill where Saint Nino is said to have raised a wooden cross after the conversion of Iberia; a founding example of the "Jvari type" of Caucasian church architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Gelati Monastery, near Kutaisi — Founded in 1106 by King David IV the Builder, Gelati was the leading monastic, educational, and cultural center of the Georgian Golden Age and is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
- Bagrati Cathedral, Kutaisi — The Cathedral of the Dormition, built in 1003 during the reign of King Bagrat III, a landmark of the unified medieval Georgian kingdom.
- Alaverdi Cathedral, Kakheti — Dedicated to Saint George and built in the early 11th century, this cathedral in the fertile Alazani valley was for centuries the tallest religious building in Georgia.
Orthodoxy
kept here.
The shape of the faith as it is lived and prayed across Georgia today.
Orthodoxy in Georgia is not a minority confession but the historic faith of the nation. Roughly 83–84% of the population identifies as Eastern Orthodox Christian, overwhelmingly within the Georgian Orthodox Church. The faith is deeply woven into national consciousness: Georgian writing, hymnography, iconography, and architecture developed almost entirely within the life of the Church, and public life is punctuated by the great feasts — Pascha, Mariamoba (the Dormition), Svetitskhovloba, and the feast of Saint Nino.
The liturgical language is Georgian, sung in the country's ancient three-voice polyphonic chant traditions (such as the Gelati and Shemokmedi schools). Parish life follows the Byzantine rite as received and developed in the Caucasus, with distinctive native hymnography produced by saints such as John Zosime, Michael Modrekili, and Ioane Petritsi. Monasticism remains central: historic cave complexes at David Gareja and Vardzia, together with functioning monasteries across Kakheti, Samegrelo, and Svaneti, form the spiritual backbone of the Church.
The Church enjoys a special constitutional relationship with the Georgian state formalized by the 2002 Constitutional Agreement (Concordat), which recognizes its historical role while preserving the secular character of the state. The Catholicos-Patriarch is consistently one of the most trusted public figures in the country. Relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate and sister Orthodox churches are strong, though tensions persist with the Moscow Patriarchate over the canonical territories of occupied Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which the Georgian Church continues to claim as part of its canonical jurisdiction.
A growing Georgian Orthodox diaspora is served by parishes in Western Europe, North America, and elsewhere, often under the omophorion of the Patriarchate of Tbilisi, preserving Georgian language, chant, and feast-day customs abroad.
Asked
of this land.
Frequently asked questions about Orthodoxy in Georgia
When did Georgia become Christian?
Christianity was declared the official religion of the Kingdom of Iberia around AD 326, after King Mirian III was converted through the preaching and miracles of Saint Nino of Cappadocia. An older apostolic tradition attributes the first preaching of the Gospel in Georgia to the Apostle Andrew the First-Called.
Is the Georgian Orthodox Church autocephalous?
Yes. The Church originally received autocephaly from the Patriarchate of Antioch in the 5th century. After being absorbed into the Russian Church in 1811, its autocephaly was restored in 1917 and formally recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople on 25 January 1990, which also confirmed the patriarchal dignity of its primate.
Who leads the Georgian Orthodox Church?
The Church is led by the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi. Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II served from 1977 until his death in 2026 and was the longest-reigning primate in the Church's history.
What language is used in Georgian Orthodox worship?
The Divine Liturgy is celebrated in Georgian, with a thousand-year-old tradition of native hymnography and distinctive three-voice polyphonic chant that has shaped the musical character of Georgian worship.
Is the Georgian Orthodox Church the same as the Armenian Apostolic Church?
No. The Georgian Orthodox Church is an Eastern Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Church, in communion with Constantinople, Jerusalem, and the other Eastern Orthodox patriarchates. The Armenian Apostolic Church is an Oriental Orthodox (non-Chalcedonian) Church and is not in sacramental communion with the Eastern Orthodox Churches.
What is the spiritual capital of Orthodox Georgia?
The ancient city of Mtskheta, north of Tbilisi, is the historical and spiritual capital. It is home to Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, traditionally believed to house the Robe of Christ, and to the 6th-century Jvari Monastery overlooking the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers.