THE PROJECT IS IMPLEMENTED BY THE GEORGIAN FOUNDATION FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES. The Expansion of Russia in the Caucasus and Georgia project offers the reader collection s Editor-in-chief: Giorgi Cheishvili of scientific-popular articles which Editor-corrector: Tinatin Evdoshvili aims to cover the Project author: Irakli Gegechkori Georgian-Russian relations of the Designer: Tornike Bokuchava XVIII-XX centuries in a manner different from the widely propagated perspective of the official Russia. © Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies All rights reserved Ecclesiastical Relations XIX century RUSSIA’S EXPANSION IN THE CAUCASUS AND GEORGIA Between Georgia and the beginning and Russia of XX century Eldar Bubulashvili Ecclesiastical Relations Between Georgia and Russia during the XIX-XX Centuries GEORGIAN CHURCH DURING EXARCHS Russia-Georgian ecclesiastical relations have evolved in the course of political relations between the two countries. They were fragmented for several centuries and became more intense in the XVII-XVIII centuries. Since the second half of the XVIII century when Russia’s southern border reached the Caucasus ridge, Russia’s political and ecclesiastical interests in Georgia have grown. This interest is well reflected in the agreements concluded between Russia and Georgia during this period. lthough the treaty between Kartl-Kakheti and Russia in 1783 did not address the issue of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church, Article 8 of the treaty severely restricted its rights. The A Archbishop of the centuries-old Autocephalous Church of Georgia was to occupy the eighth place in the Russian Holy Synod after the Peter I, Bishop of the Tobolsk Eparchy. When signing the treaty, the King of Russia Georgian ambassadors (Garsevan Chavchavadze and Ioane (1682-1721) Mukhranbatoni) protested this article since the Georgian and Emperor (1721-1725) Archbishop was to be ranked fifth among the first-tier Russian bishops according to the previously agreed draft version of the agreement. In line with Church canons, even this compromise version was a significant violation. The issue was that since the time of Peter I (1689-1725) in Russia, the patriarchy had been abolished and the Church was ruled by the Russian Holy Synod which was headed by a secular person - the Ober-Prosecutor. Thus, the head of the Georgian Church with the title of Patriarch was hierarchically superior to all Russian bishops; however, he was equated with the ordinary bishops of the Russian Eparchy in the final version of the treaty. Despite the protest of the Georgian diplomats, it was precisely this version of the treaty that was signed. According to the agreement, the Archbishop of the Georgian Church was considered a member of the Russian Synod. In the future, a separate article was to be drafted to regulate the governance of the Georgian Church and its relationship with the Russian Synod but no such document was ever developed. 1 Ecclesiastical Relations XIX century RUSSIA’S EXPANSION IN THE CAUCASUS AND GEORGIA Between Georgia and the beginning and Russia of XX century Karl Knorring, Pavel Tsitsianov, The First Governor Governor General General of Georgia of Georgia (1801-1802) (1802-1806) Ivan Gudovich, Alexander Tormasov, Governor General Governor General of Georgia of Georgia (1806-1809) (1809-1811) Along with secular authorities, the Church also had high of Georgia was abolished in gross violation of hopes for Russia which propagated a common faith but those Church laws. hopes were not fulfilled. Immediately after the abolition of the Kingdom of Kartl-Kakheti (1801), Tsarism began an active struggle to abolish the autocephaly of the Georgian Church. It The same fate was shared by the Catholicosate of Western was natural that Russia could not tolerate the existence of an Georgia which ceased to exist in 1814. By abolishing the independent Church in a stateless country. The purpose of the autocephaly of the Church of Georgia, Tsarism achieved a empire was clear: Russian ideologues wanted to eradicate the significant political victory. The Russian authorities were well national spirit in the Church of Georgia and turn it into one of aware that the assimilation of the Georgian people required the the eparchies subordinated to Russia’s Holy Synod. elimination of the sole spiritual foundation in which the liturgy The Russian appointed Governor General in Georgia, was performed in the Georgian language. K. Knorring (1801-1802), P. Tsitsianov (1802-1806), I. Gudovich The position of Exarch was established in Georgia and the (1806-1809) and A. Tormasov (1809-1811), fought in every possible synodal bureau of Georgia-Imereti was created under the way to abolish the autocephaly of the Georgian Church. The leadership of the Exarchate for the purpose of managing the Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia Anton II (Bagrationi, 1788-1810) eparchies. Georgia’s Exarch occupied a permanent fourth opposed the imperial plans for almost ten years. Russian officials place in the Russian Synod. The Georgian Metropolitan Varlam unapologetically interfered in the affairs of the Church and often Eristavi (1811-1817) was appointed as the first Exarch. He concocted various provocations against its Archbishop, provoked was the one who developed the project that established the clerics against him and made slanderous accusations. At the Georgian Exarchate. From 1817 to 1917, Russian hierarchs who insistence of the authorities in the fall of 1810, the Catholicos- were ignorant of the Georgian language were being appointed Patriarch Anton was summoned to Russia with a pretense of the as Eparchs of Georgia even though they had no idea of the reorganization of Church where he died in 1827. culture and the history of the nation. Candidates for Exarch went through an exceptional selection process. Their nominations were recommended by the Holy Synod of Russia and appointed By the Russian Emperor Alexander I’s rescript by the Emperor. Only those candidates who were deemed to of June 30, 1811, the autocephaly of the Church be very reliable, dedicated to the interests of the Empire and 2 Ecclesiastical Relations XIX century RUSSIA’S EXPANSION IN THE CAUCASUS AND GEORGIA Between Georgia and the beginning and Russia of XX century Anton II (Bagrationi), Varlam Eristavi, Catholicos-Patriarch The first Exarch of Georgia of Georgia (1788-1810) (1811-1817) the robberies were treated with respect and employed in high positions after being withdrawn from Georgia. Much of the ecclesiastical relics removed from Georgia by the Exarchs are lost and some are kept in Russian and foreign museums and private collections. The consequences of abolishing the autocephaly of the Church of Georgia were severe. During the period of the Exarchs, the number of eparchies, churches and monasteries as well as Georgian clergymen decreased significantly. The boundaries of the eparchies of the Georgian Exarchate Alexander I, corresponded to the Russian administrative boundaries in the Emperor of Russia Caucasus. In Eastern Georgia there was one – the Georgian (1801-1825) Eparchy, two Vikariats - Gori and Alaverdi - governed by the Exarch himself with the help of archbishops. The Orthodox experienced clergyman were selected. The Exarch, as one congregation of the districts of Kars, Baku and Yerevan, of the representatives of Russia’s ecclesiastical bureaucratic Dagestan and Transcaucasia were subordinated to the same government and based on the interests of the state, pursued Eparchy. a policy that was acceptable to Tsarism. The Georgian Exarch In western Georgia at various times there were the Eparchies was conducting his activities in agreement with the local secular of Imereti, Guria-Samegrelo and Sokhumi which, while they authorities of the Caucasus although hierarchically he was not had their own bishops, were governed by the Exarch of Georgia under its subordination. He was accountable only to the Holy through the Georgia-Imereti synodal canton. Synod of Russia. One Russian historian, displeased with the For the purpose of achieving the obedience of the clergy, Exarchs’ work, wrote with regret: “If any Georgian decides it was first necessary to confiscate church property. The to write a true history about the usurpatory activities of the government attempted to resolve the issue in the first half of the Russian Exarchs, we will have to blush, at the extent they were XIX century but was unable to do so because of strong public embarrassing the Russian clergy.” opposition. The secularization of church lands in Eastern Georgia ended by the law of November 13, 1869. Under the Emperor’s decree, all of the property of the Georgian Church Most of the Exarchs, with some exceptions, was transferred to the treasury. A similar event took place in were busy robbing churches and monasteries, Imereti-Guria in 1871 and in Samegrelo in 1880. As a result, and accumulating wealth while they lacked the Russian Treasury generated a solid source of income and authority among the congregation. the Georgian clergy, which was deprived of its funds, became wage dependent on the Treasury and the employees executing the desires of the authorities. Most notable in this respect were Theophilact Rusanov Thanks to Tsarism’s policy, most of the clergymen (1817-1821), Iona Vasilevsky (1821-1832), Evsev Ilinsky (1858- became servants of Russian interests. The Georgian press 1877), Pavel Lebedev (1882-1887) and Paladi Raev (1887- of the second half of the XIX century published numerous 1892). Georgian society raised its voice against the robbery of whistleblower letters. Georgian society strongly criticized the churches and monasteries but the authorities responded to their part of the clergy which did not perform religious rituals without rightful demands with silence while the Exarchs who organized cost, pointing to the grave consequences that this might 3 Ecclesiastical Relations XIX century RUSSIA’S EXPANSION IN THE CAUCASUS AND GEORGIA Between Georgia and the beginning and Russia of XX century Theophilact Rusanov, Evsev Ilinsky, Exarch Exarch (1817-1821) (1858-1877) Iona Vasilevsky, Pavel Lebedev, Exarch Exarch (1821-1832) (1882-1887) century.