From the Proclamation to the Election: The Rebirth of the Autocephaly Orthodox Church of Georgia
From the Proclamation to the Election: The Rebirth of the Autocephaly Orthodox Church of Georgia

Summary/Abstract: In 1801, the Russian Empire abolished the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti (Eastern Georgia), and in 1811, the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Georgia (OCG) was also abolished. The period from 1811 to 1917 is known in the historiography of the OCG as the Exarchate period, due to the fact that during this time the OCG was no longer autocephalous and was governed not by a Catholicos Patriarch, but by an Exarch, who was a member of the Russian Synod. In March 1917, due to political changes in Russia, members of the OCG decided to restore the autocephaly. At the initial stage, the Russian Provisional Government supported the idea of autocephaly but considered it from an ethnic rather than a territorial perspective. This was expressed in the notion that Georgia should have an autocephalous church whose jurisdiction would include only ethnic Georgian Orthodox Christians living in Georgia, while an Exarch, a member of the Russian Synod, would be based in Tbilisi to oversee Orthodox Christians of non-Georgian nationality residing in Georgia. This model proved unacceptable to the members of the OCG and Georgian society, leading to active efforts to ensure that the Georgian Church achieved territorial, rather than ethnic, autocephaly. Ultimately, these processes culminated in the election of the Patriarch of the OCG in September 1917. The article examines the developments from March 1917 to September 1917 and highlights the key aspects concerning the restoration of the OCG’s autocephaly during this period.

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