Church leaders concelebrated at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta, with a message from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
A festive Divine Liturgy at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta, Georgia, on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, marked both Svetitskhovloba and the 1,700th anniversary of Christianity’s establishment as the country’s state religion.
Catholicos-Patriarch Shio III of Georgia presided, concelebrating with Archbishop Rastislav of Prešov, Metropolitan of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, alongside Georgian hierarchs and delegations from other Orthodox Churches.
In his sermon, Patriarch Shio highlighted Christianity’s role in preserving the Georgian people’s language, identity and historical continuity. He also recalled the missionary work of Saint Nino and described Christ’s seamless robe as a symbol of the Church’s indivisible unity.
Metropolitan Rastislav emphasised the spiritual bonds between the two Churches and presented the Georgian Patriarch with an icon containing a relic of Saint Ludmila, as a gesture of brotherly love.
Metropolitan Bessarion of Spain read a message from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who honoured Georgia’s Christian heritage and expressed the hope that the anniversary would strengthen fraternal ties and the shared witness of the Orthodox Churches.
