This post was originally published on this site
At the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch Shio, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, His Grace Bishop Vasily traveled to the Republic of Georgia to represent His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, at the celebrations marking the 1,700th anniversary of the proclamation of Christianity as the state religion of Georgia.
His Grace arrived in Georgia on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, and participated in the commemorative celebrations held on Wednesday, October 14, alongside hierarchs and delegations representing all the autocephalous Orthodox Churches.
The principal celebration took place at the historic Svetitskhoveli Patriarchal Cathedral in Mtskheta, where His Holiness Patriarch Shio presided at the festal Divine Liturgy, concelebrated by His Beatitude Metropolitan Rastislav of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, members of the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church, and visiting Orthodox hierarchs. The celebration coincided with the feast of Svetitskhovloba, which commemorates the Robe of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Life-Giving Pillar, both closely associated with the Christian heritage of Georgia.
On this occasion, Bishop Vasily conveyed the personal greetings and congratulations of Metropolitan Tikhon in a letter addressed to His Holiness Patriarch Shio. Writing on behalf of the Holy Synod of Bishops, clergy, monastics, and faithful of the Orthodox Church in America, His Beatitude offered heartfelt congratulations to the Georgian Orthodox Church on this historic anniversary.
In his letter, Metropolitan Tikhon reflected on the extraordinary witness of the Georgian Church throughout seventeen centuries, beginning with the apostolic labors of Saint Nino, Equal-to-the-Apostles, and continuing through the generations of hierarchs, monastics, martyrs, confessors, and faithful who preserved the Orthodox faith through times of both prosperity and suffering. Recalling the words of the Lord, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14), His Beatitude praised the Georgian Church’s steadfast witness to Christ and its rich spiritual inheritance, expressed through sacred chant, iconography, monastic life, and theological tradition.
His Beatitude also emphasized the bonds of fraternal love and communion that unite the Orthodox Church in America and the Georgian Orthodox Church. Despite the geographical distance separating the two Churches, he noted that they remain united in the one Orthodox faith, in the Eucharistic Chalice, and in their common calling to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Expressing regret that he could not participate personally in the celebrations, Metropolitan Tikhon conveyed through Bishop Vasily his prayers, personal greetings, and the love of the entire Orthodox Church in America.
The anniversary commemorates the establishment of Christianity as the state religion of Georgia in the fourth century, traditionally associated with the missionary labors of Saint Nino and the conversion of King Mirian and Queen Nana. The celebrations offered an occasion for thanksgiving for the enduring Christian heritage of the Georgian people and for the witness of the Georgian Orthodox Church throughout its history.
Bishop Vasily’s participation on behalf of Metropolitan Tikhon reaffirmed the fraternal relations between the Orthodox Church in America and the Georgian Orthodox Church, as well as the bonds of unity shared by the Local Orthodox Churches.
Photo credit: Georgian Orthodox Church
