ABOUT GEORGIA - Religion

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

christianity

first church

Svetitskhoveli

Georgia is one of the oldest Christian countries.

In the 30s of the 4th century during the rein of King Mirian the Christianity was declared as the official religion.

OTHER INFORMATIONS

Georgia is one of the oldest Christian countries. It is considered to be an appanage of the Holy Virgin, where Christianity was first preached by the Apostles Andrew and Simon Canaanite. It is believed that the tomb of the latter is located in the West Georgia, by the Black Sea in the ancient site of Nikopsia.

In the 30s of the 4th century during the rein of King Mirian the Christianity was declared as the official religion. According to the oldest Georgian and foreign sources, this phenomenon is connected with Nino Cappadocian – an enlightener of the Georgians – canonized by them.

ninoAccording to a well-known legend, St Nino - a slave from Cappadocia came to Georgia carrying a cross of vine branches bound together with strands of her own hair, she cured a child by placing her hair shirt on him and praying; Queen Nana heard of this and Nino cured her by prayer of some unknown malady, and converted her to Christianity. King Mirian followed his wife in converting when Nino was able to cause a thunderbolt to destroy the pagan idols, followed by an eclipse of the sun which she did not lift until he agreed to convert. Thus, Georgia was converted to Christianity in 337. However, Christianity was not firmly established until the 6th century, when the Syrian Fathers came from Antioch; georgii gruziaits uncertain whether they were Georgians or Chalcedonians, but it is clear they could speak the language before they arrived. They founded several monasteries in Kartli and Kakheti, such as Shiom – ghvine, Zedazeni, Samtavisi, Alaverdi, Nekresi, David – Gareja, and spread the Gospel throughout the country.

The first Christian church built in Mtskheta was constructed precisely on the site where the miraculous Sveti-Tskhoveli or "Life-Giving Pillar" rose above the place where Christ`s chiton was interred.

According to the modern studies, West Georgia ( i.e. Egrisi or Lazika) was also converted to Christianity in the 4th century. From around the 6th century the church of Egrisi (Lazika) was headed by a metropolitan who was hierarchically subordinated to the Patriarch of Constantinople.

In the latter half of the 9th century, the West Georgian Church broke away from Constantinople and placed itself under the Catholicos with the see at Mtskheta. The Catholicos of Kartli was proclaimed Head of the Georgian Church, ranking as the sixth patriarch in the world's pentarchy.

The Georgian Church has always played an important role in strengthening the national consciousness of the Georgian people. But at the same time religious fanaticism has always been alien to the Georgian Church. It is tolerant to other confessions, which is attested by the peaceful coexistence of Catholic, Judean, Armenian-Georgian, German-Lutheran and Muslim congregations and churches and mosks with the Georgian.

GEORGIA


Flag	Coat of arms

Capital and largest city		Tbilisi
Official languages		Georgian
Spoken languages		71% Georgian 9% Russian 7% Armenian 6% Azerbaijani 7% other
Ethnic groups (2002)		83.8% Georgian 6.5% Azerbaijani 5.7% Armenian 1.5% Russian 2.5% others
Demonym		Georgian
Government		Unitary semi-presidential republic
Legislature		Parliament
Area		69,700 km² (120th) 26,911 sq mi
Population (2014)		4,935,880 (119th)
Currency		Lari (GEL)
Time zone		GET (UTC+4)
Drives on the		right
Calling code		+995
ISO 3166 code		GE
Internet TLD		.ge