Georgian religion. Religion of Georgia Georgia what is the faith of religion

Georgia is extremely interesting for tourists to visit. This is a country with a rich cultural heritage. On its territory there are many shrines that are visited by thousands of pilgrims every year.

Religion

Georgia became an Orthodox country back in 337(according to other sources in 326). This is the second (after Armenia) country that accepted faith in Christ at the state level. Before this, pagan traditions were widespread in the country.

Georgians are very pious; some religious holidays have national status.

Reference! On great Orthodox holidays, the practice of pardoning prisoners is widespread.

How many times has the country changed its faith?

Favorable geographical location, the wealth and beauty of Georgia's nature attracted many conquerors. She was attacked by:

Arabs;
Persians;
Ottomans;
Mongols.

For many centuries, the country waged bloody wars with Islam.

In the eighth century, the Arabs, led by the merciless Murvan, attacked Georgia, subjugated many lands and fragmented the country, which led to the Islamization of some territories.

In the tenth century, Islam was introduced in a number of places in Georgia.. However, Orthodoxy remained among the Georgians themselves.

Georgia selflessly defended its faith. According to the chronicle, in 1226, 100 thousand people immediately suffered martyrdom for refusing to walk on the icons placed on the bridge by order of the Persian Shah Khorezmshah Jalaletdin.

Officially, Georgia changed its religion only once, in the fourth century, when it abandoned paganism and adopted Orthodoxy.

Religious composition of the population

Despite the fact that the bulk of the population professes Orthodoxy, an amendment to the Civil Code was adopted in 2011, which equalizes all religious denominations. Georgians are tolerant of representatives of other religions. And there are many of them.

These are primarily Muslims. Some Abkhazians, Azerbaijanis, and Georgians in the southern and southwestern regions profess Islam. Besides, Representatives live in Georgia:

Catholicism;
Judaism;
Protestants;
atheists and others.

Orthodoxy

According to the results of the 2014 census, 83.41% of the population are Orthodox. Official The Orthodox Church in Georgia is called the Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church. This means a separate, administratively independent church that has the right to:

cook myrrh yourself;
issue decrees;
appoint a head.

In the territory of autocephaly, other local churches do not operate, while unity in the liturgy is maintained with other autocephalous churches (for example, with the Russian Orthodox Church, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and others).

Story

Tradition says that Georgia is the chosen country of the Blessed Virgin Mary, since initially it was she who had to go to the territory of this country to preach. However, she remained in Jerusalem by the will of the Savior. Saint Andrew the First-Called went instead. He walked through villages and cities with the image of the Mother of God and preached the teachings of Christ.

In one of the cities, through his prayer, a dead person was resurrected. This miracle prompted the inhabitants to be baptized. The apostles Simon and Matthew also participated in the development of the Christian faith. In Batumi, on the territory of the Gonio-Apsaros fortress, there is the grave of Matthew.

At first, Christianity was persecuted by the ruling authorities. But thanks to the preaching of Saint Nino, who, fulfilling the will of the Mother of God, came to Georgia from Jerusalem, Christianity was finally established. At that time, Queen Nana fell ill. Neither healers nor prayers to idols (she was an ardent fan of paganism) helped her.

Nana had no choice but to turn to Nino for help, who, according to rumors, worked miracles. After the healing, the queen believed in Christ and was baptized, and later King Mirian also accepted Christianity. Thanks to this, the Baptism of Georgia took place.

Shrines and temples

There are 36 churches and cathedrals, about 46 historical and architectural sites in Georgia.

Svetitskhoveli– Church of the 12 Apostles in the city of Mtskheta. It was built back in 1010-1029. It is the main and largest temple in Georgia. It contains a cross with a part of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, a particle of the relics of the Apostle Andrew. The temple is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary(Batumi). The temple was built in 1898-1903 by Stepan Zubalashvili in memory of his mother, who asked to build a Catholic church in Batumi. Architects and artists from Italy were invited for construction. 250 thousand rubles were spent on construction. In the 1980s, the temple was transferred to the Orthodox Church.
Tsminda Sameba(Holy Trinity Cathedral) – located in Tbilisi. The total area is more than 5 thousand square meters, the height of the upper temple is 68 meters. The floor has marble tiles with mosaic patterns, the walls are covered with frescoes. The main saints kept in it are the handwritten Bible and the “Hope of Georgia” icon. In the center is the Mother of God, surrounded by almost four hundred Georgian saints. The size of the icon is 3 meters in height and the same in width.
Temple of Sioni– located in Tbilisi. The main value of the temple is Nino’s cross, which, according to legend, was given to her by the Mother of God before she was sent to Georgia. There are two bell towers on the territory of the cathedral. One of them is an ancient three-tiered building from the fifteenth century, the other from the early nineteenth century.
David-Geredzha– a complex of cave monasteries stretching for 25 km. It is divided into two parts by the state border between Georgia and Azerbaijan. In some of the monastery's refectories and churches, frescoes from the eighth and ninth centuries have been preserved.
Jvari Monastery– located on the top of a mountain in the area of Mtskheta. Also included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Reference! In Tbilisi there is an area of 5 churches, which simultaneously houses an Orthodox and Armenian church, a Catholic cathedral, a Jewish synagogue and a mosque.

Islam

According to the Tbilisi mosque the number of Muslims in Georgia is about 500 thousand people. Islam is mainly practiced by local Azerbaijanis. There are about 310 operating mosques and houses of worship in Georgia.

In Tbilisi, there is a united mosque preserved from the times of the Soviet Union - the only one of its kind where Shiites and Sunnis pray together.

Judaism

Jews arrived in Georgia from time immemorial and shared their historical fate with the Georgian people. In Georgia there is even a term “Georgian Jews”, which appeared back in the tenth century. They mostly speak Georgian. The size of the Jewish community is about 4 thousand people. There are 19 Jewish shrines on the territory of Georgia.

Catholicism

The number of professing Catholics in Georgia, according to various sources, is 40-100 thousand people. They mostly live in big cities. In 2012, the first Catholic contemplative monastery in Georgia was opened in the city of Akhaltsikhe next to the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, rebuilt from the ruins.

Protestants

There are about 20-35 thousand Protestants in Georgia. Representatives of different branches of Protestantism live in the country, including Baptists, Adventists, Evangelical Pentecostals, representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Churches and the Protestant Church of the Holy Trinity. The center of Protestantism is Tbilisi.

Other movements

What other faiths are represented in the country? Both Buddhists (several dozen people) and Hare Krishnas (about 200 people) are found in small numbers in Georgia. Approximately 110 thousand people belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. There are about 12.5 thousand Jehovah's Witnesses.

In total, more than 40 different religious organizations are registered in the country.

Atheists

According to the 2014 census, 63 thousand people consider themselves atheists. These are mainly residents of large cities.

Percentage of denominations

Orthodoxy – 83.41%.
Islam – 10.74%.
Armenian Orthodox Church – 2.94%.
Catholicism – 0.52%.
Judaism – 0.04%.
Protestantism – 0.07%.
Atheists – 1.7%.
Others – 0.58%.

Main church holidays

Mtskhetoba-Svetitkhovloba– October 14 is a great holiday, which is based on the acquisition of the Lord’s robe by Georgia. In honor of the discovery of such a relic, the Svetitskhoveli Temple was built. On this day, a festive service is held and a mass baptism is held.
Tamarooba– May 14 is one of the main national holidays in honor of the wise Queen Tamara. She is canonized.
Ninooba– June 1 is a holiday dedicated to the arrival of St. Nino in Georgia.
St. George's Day– November 23. Saint George is highly revered in Georgia. On this day, all temples ring bells and believers kneel in prayer. This is an official day off.
Christmas– January 6 is one of the most important Christian holidays. On Christmas night, it is customary to light a candle and place it near the window.
Easter- a significant Christian holiday. On this day, wheat is sprouted, Easter cakes are baked and eggs are painted. Starting from Good Friday to Monday inclusive, the country has public holidays. On Monday it is customary to go to the cemetery and remember the dead.

Undoubtedly, Georgia is a country with an extremely interesting history. Its culture, family values and traditions are inextricably linked with Orthodoxy. Despite this, the indigenous population of Georgia is exceptionally tolerant of other faiths.

Armenia is the first country to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301. This is a state with a rich history, rooted in the legend of Noah’s Ark, left on Mount Ararat. The Armenian Highlands became the location of the legendary ancient state of Urartu, which competed for the right of primacy in this region with Babylon and Assyria. Armenia then came under the influence of the Medes, and soon became part of the Persian Achaemenid Empire. This territory was conquered by Alexander the Great and became part of the vast Hellenistic world. After the death of the great conqueror, the Armenian state fell under the protectorate of the Syrian Seleucids.

The Christian faith began to spread throughout the territory of Armenia back in the 1st century AD, as well as in neighboring Colchis (present-day). There is a legend according to which the Armenian ruler Avgar, having learned about the appearance of the Savior on Palestinian soil, sent his ambassadors to him with an invitation to visit the capital, Edessa. In response to the invitation, the Savior sent his two disciples Bartholomew and Thadeus with a blessing and His Image Not Made by Hands. Coming to the Armenian land from Assyria and Cappadocia, they began to spread the word of God in the period from 60 to 68 AD. In the Armenian tradition, Thaddeus and Bartholomew became known as the “Enlighteners of the Armenian World.” For the first two centuries, Armenian Christians were still oppressed by the pagans - they were the majority, and paganism remained the state religion. The persecution of the new faith in Armenia was carried out in parallel with the persecution in Rome. Both the then rulers Trdat III and the Roman emperor Diocletian considered the first Christians to be marginal elements corrupting the foundations of statehood. However, oppression at the official level gradually faded away and by the beginning of the 4th century had completely disappeared - in 313, Emperor Constantine the Great signed the Edict of Milan, which legalized the Christian religion in the Roman Empire. Trdat's intentions were even more radical - he decided to eradicate paganism overnight and make Christianity a single faith for all Armenians.

Levon II. (wikipedia.org)

The reason for this act was the story of the martyrdom of the holy virgins of Hripsimeyanki. Several Christian Roman girls fled from persecution in their homeland and, visiting Jerusalem, came to Armenia, where they settled near the city of Vagharshapat. Trdat admired the beauty of one of them, Hripsime, but did not reciprocate, which made him furious and ordered the execution of all the Roman women. The exemplary execution took place in 300, and its consequences had a serious impact on the ruler’s mental health: the illness that happened to Trdat was often called “pig disease,” which is why a pig’s head appeared in the image of the king. And at the same time, one of the king’s former associates, Christian Gregory, was in captivity, whom Trdat accused of killing his father and put in a pit with snakes and scorpions. After spending 13 years in inhuman conditions, Gregory was miraculously released, as the king’s sister had a prophetic dream, informing him that only this prisoner was able to heal her brother from mental illness. The liberated Gregory ordered the tortured Hripsimeans to be interred with all Christian honors. And after preaching for 66 days, he ultimately healed the ruler. Admired by the miracles of Gregory, Trdat accepted the Christian faith and made it the official religion of Armenia.

Saint Gregory the Illuminator. (wikipedia.org)

The ancient Georgian state adopted Christianity in the same 4th century thanks to Saint Nino, who from that moment is considered the patroness of Georgia. As in the case of Armenia, the reason for the adoption of Christianity was a miracle of healing, and in 324 or 326 the Georgian king Mirian approved a new official religion. Saint Nino, Equal to the Apostles, was born in Cappadocia around 280. Coming from a very noble family, the young girl at the age of 12 ended up in Jerusalem, where her parents were ordained clergy. Finding herself in the care of the old woman Nianfora, Nino listened with delight to her stories about the distant and fabulous country of Iveria (present-day Georgia). Inspired by the stories, Nino wanted to visit this country one day and soon she had the following opportunity: one day in a dream she saw the Virgin Mary, who handed her a cross made of vines, saying, “Take this cross, it will be your shield and fence against all visible and invisible enemies. Go to the country of Iveron, preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ there and you will find grace from Him. I will be your Patroness.” This cross is still kept in the Sioni Cathedral in Tbilisi. Nino turned for a blessing to her uncle, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who sent her to a distant country.

On the way to Iveria, Nino almost died at the hands of the Armenian ruler Trdat III, already mentioned above in connection with the baptism of Armenia. Miraculously escaping death, Nino reached Iveria in 319. Entering the ancient capital of Georgia, Mtskheta, the future patroness of all Georgians found shelter in the family of a childless royal gardener. The prayers of Saint Nino miraculously helped the gardener’s wife Anna, who soon became pregnant and after this story believed in Christ. Soon, the miraculous Nino was first learned in the immediate vicinity, and later rumors reached the Georgian queen Nana, who was suffering from a serious illness. However, the miraculous incident with his wife had the opposite effect on King Mirian - he hated Saint Nino and even wanted to kill her.

But after a hunting accident, the king, caught in a thunderstorm, became blind and promised to convert to Christianity if he was healed. Saint Nino soon healed Mirian, and he, in gratitude, believed in God and converted first all his subjects, and then the entire Iberian people, to the Christian faith. According to the legend of the chronicles, Saint Nino showed the king where the Robe of the Lord was located and on that place (in Mtskheta) they first built a wooden and then a stone temple in honor of the 12 holy Apostles, Svetitskhoveli. In 324 (or 326) Christianity became the official religion of the Georgian people. After the churching of Iveria, Saint Nino went to neighboring Kakheti, where she converted the local queen Sophia to the faith.

Saint Nino. (wikipedia.org)

Having completed her good mission, Saint Nino soon had a dream in which she learned of her imminent death. She asked King Mirian to send Bishop John to help her prepare for her final journey. Soon Saint Nino with the bishop and the Iberian king went to Bodbe, where on her deathbed she performed her last healings and there she told about her origin. This information is reflected in chronicles that have survived to this day. On January 27, 335 (or 347) Saint Nino was buried in Bodbe, as she herself bequeathed. The Georgian Orthodox Church, with the consent of the Antioch Patriarchate, named the enlightener of Georgia equal to the apostles and canonized her. In Georgia, on January 27, the holiday of Ninoba was established - on this day the Orthodox Church commemorates Saint Nino. In honor of her, many temples were erected throughout the country, in Tbilisi alone there are at least five of them. And in the Zion Cathedral of the Assumption of the Mother of God there is a cross made of grapevine, entwined with her hair.

Traveling to another country is a very exciting event: you can see new places, learn about a different culture and way of life, make friends and just have pleasant acquaintances. I greet guests warmly. But each country has its own, which it is advisable to familiarize yourself with in advance.

One of the pressing issues is religion. To avoid conflicts based on religious grounds, you need to know the religious characteristics of the country you are traveling to.

Georgia is a multicultural country. Its history is extremely eventful, which undoubtedly affected culture and religion.

History of the formation of the main religion in Georgia

In 337 (according to other sources - in 326) Georgia adopted Christianity and is still a Christian state. The first inclinations of Christianity were brought to Georgia by the wanderer-apostle Andrew the First-Called; he later became revered as the founder and heavenly patron of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople.

The apostles Simon and Matthew also participated in the founding of the Christian faith in Georgia. In Batumi, on the territory of the Gonio-Apsaros fortress, there is the grave of the Apostle Matthew.

Gonio Fortress in Batumi

One of the most important personalities for Christian Georgia is Saint Nino. She was a slave from Cappadoca and preached Christianity. A striking example of her work is the healing of a sick baby through prayer.

This incredible miracle soon became known to the Georgian Queen Nana, who was also sick. Saint Nino healed her too, after which the queen became a Christian.

Holy Equal to the Apostles Nina, enlightener of Georgia

In the 6th century, in the Georgian cities and regions of Kartli, Kakheti, Zedazeni, Samtavisi, Alaverdi and Nekresi, several monasteries were built, which were founded by the holy fathers from Antioch. This became the grain that firmly established and spread Christianity throughout Georgia.

Interesting facts and religious holidays of Christian Georgia

One of the religious attractions of Georgia is the Svetitskhoveli Church, which means “Life-giving Pillar”, it is located in the city of Mtskheta.

What makes this place special is its incredible backstory. It all started with the fact that a certain Elioz bought the tunic of Christ in Jerusalem and brought it to his homeland, to the city of Mtskheta. When the tunic was in the hands of his sister, she died from an excess of feelings. However, even after death, the chiton could not be removed from the woman’s hands, since she was clutching it tightly. Therefore, the woman had to be buried along with the shrine.

The famous temple on the mountain - Javari

After some time, a cedar tree grew on the grave, which was subsequently cut down to build a church. And a column was made from the tree itself, but it was not possible to install it in place, since it was floating in the air.

Only St. Nino managed to resolve the current situation with the help of prayer. This is how the wonderful Svetitskhoveli Church was formed. October 14 is a holiday in honor of the “peace-bearing pillar of the Lord and the Robe of the Lord.” There is another legend about Svetitskheveli that you can read

Not far from the Svetitskhoveli Church is the Jvari Temple. It stands on the hill where Saint Nino once installed the first Christian cross from a vine tied with her own hair.

There are also other religious sites of Georgia scattered throughout the country. For a more detailed examination of the famous holy places of Georgia, there are special excursions and tours.

The establishment of Christianity on the territory of Georgia was not easy. Christians, as in any other country, were persecuted.

Thus, in 1226, an act of self-sacrifice took place, the scale of which has not yet been compared. 100,000 people accepted the crown of martyrdom, refusing to carry out the order of Khorezmshah Jalaletdin - to desecrate the holy icons collected on the bridge. During this period, children, old people and women were executed. The memory of these people is honored on October 31.

The memory of Saint Nino is honored on January 14 and May 19 - these holidays are considered holy for the Georgian Church. Other Christian holidays are celebrated on generally accepted dates: January 7 - Christmas, January 19 - baptism, etc.

Other official religions in Georgia

Despite the fact that the main religion of Georgia is Christianity, there are many holy sites belonging to other religious movements scattered throughout its territory. These include Muslim mosques and communities, Jewish synagogues and Catholic churches.

Bodbe Monastery

Cathedral of the Blachernae Icon of the Mother of God

Metekhi Temple

The official religion of Georgia is Christianity, however, the country's Parliament adopted amendments to the code that allow any religious movements and organizations that have official status to fully exist.

There is a square, which is also called the square of five churches - on one patch there is an Orthodox temple, an Armenian church, a Catholic cathedral, a synagogue and a mosque.

Georgians treat other religions with respect. There are quite a lot of Muslims here. Some Abkhazians, as well as Georgians in the southern and southwestern regions (Adjara, etc.) profess Sunni Islam. Azerbaijanis are also Muslims. Armenians, Greeks and Russians have their own churches.

After this, the composition of believers in Georgia was distributed as follows:

Orthodoxy – 65% of the total population.
Catholicism – 2%.
Islam – 10%.
Judaism, atheism and other movements occupy the remaining part.

One of the spiritual symbols of modern Georgia is Svetitskhoveli

One of the options for spending time during a tourist trip to Georgia can be a tour of holy places. After all, the religious history of Georgia is full of interesting and surprising events that deserve attention and will be of interest not only to representatives of the Christian movement, but also to people who preach other religions.

In contact with

Official religion of Georgia For centuries there has been and remains Orthodoxy. Religion occupies a huge place in Georgia. Georgians are very pious, cross themselves at the sight of domes, venerate saints and regularly attend church.

Georgia is the second country after Armenia to adopt the Christian religion as the official state religion and is considered one of the oldest Christian churches in the world.

Christianity became the state religion in the period from 318 to 337. through the works of Equal-to-the-Apostles St. Nina, the enlightener of Georgia. The first to come on a spiritual mission to the territory of Georgia Andrew the First-Called.

Originally from Cappadocia, she went to Iveria (the territory of modern Georgia) in order to find Robe of the Lord(in which Christ was crucified and, after whose death, Chiton fell by lot to one of the soldiers, who took him to his sister in Iberia).

St. Nino was entrusted by the Mother of God herself, however, a more important mission was to devote herself to preaching the Gospel to the inhabitants of Iberia.

The Lord appeared to St. Nina in visions and blessed her for the Equal-to-the-Apostles feat, and the Mother of God miraculously gave her vine cross. Currently, the Christian relic is kept in Zion Cathedral in Tbilisi.

On January 27, Georgia celebrates Ninooba - the Day of the Holy Virgin Nino, Equal to the Apostles, the enlightener of Georgia. She is also commemorated on June 1, the day Nino came to Georgia.

The saint died in 335 . The relics rest hidden in the women'sBodbe Monastery , in Kakheti (Georgia).

I also read it in Georgia Thirteen Syrian Fathers- the holy founders of Georgian monasticism. They came to Georgia from Syria in the middle of the 6th century. The Monk John of Zedazni and 12 of his disciples settled in grottoes in remote areas and became confessors and founders of the main monasteries of the country - twelve of the most famous Georgian monasteries, one of which is a rock monastery David Gareji Monastery.

There are a huge number of Christian churches and shrines in Georgia; no one has counted their exact number. There are about 250 monasteries.

Georgians were able to preserve and carry the Orthodox Christian faith through the centuries, despite the Persian, Arab, Mongol and Turkish conquests.

In 607 there was a split between the Georgian and Armenian Apostolic Church.

Around the Holy Places of Georgia

God of monotheistic cultures basic concepts ... Wikipedia

Dynamics of religiosity in Russia according to public opinion polls Religion in Russia The current (1993) Constitution of Russia defines the Russian Federation as a secular state. The Constitution guarantees “freedom of conscience, freedom... ... Wikipedia

According to Article 16 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus of March 15, 1994, as amended and supplemented by republican referendums on November 24, 1996 and October 17, 2004, “religions and faiths are equal before the law.” From... ...Wikipedia

Chveneburi Georgians Muslims ... Wikipedia

Coordinates: 42°01′00″ N. w. 43°44′00″ E. d. / 42.016667° n. w. 43.733333° E. d. ... Wikipedia

Population graph of Georgia The total population of Georgia (excluding the partially recognized states of South Ossetia and Abkhazia) as of January 1, 2012 was 4497.6 thousand ... Wikipedia

States with official religions ... Wikipedia

Coin depicting the Georgian King George III. Tsar George III had no sons, and after his death his daughter Tamara was to take the throne. To avoid difficulties in the future, Tsar George decided to elevate his daughter to... ... Wikipedia

Check neutrality. There should be details on the talk page. This article makes an attempt to summarize the available information about the foreign policy course of the Georgian leadership, which came to power as a result of... Wikipedia

Economic indicators Currency Georgian lari (GEL) International organizations WTO, IBRD, IMF GDP statistics (nominal) $14.35 billion (2011) ... Wikipedia

Books

Hand of the Great Master, Konstantin Gamsakhurdia. The plot of the novel is based on the final period of construction of Svetitskhoveli, the patriarchal cathedral in the ancient Georgian capital Mtskheta. This is the heyday of Georgia, but at the same time it is the time when...
Hand of the Great Master, Konstantine Gamsakhurdia. The novel by Konstantin Gamsakhurdia (1891-1975) depicts the Georgian Middle Ages - the beginning of the 11th century. Religion faces the first glimmers of theomachism, and feudal despotism faces...