The Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church paid a visit to Georgia

Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, paid a pastoral visit to Georgia. According to the website Romfea.gr, the trip by the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church began on September 28, 2026, with the blessing of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

The delegation accompanying the metropolitan included the Patriarch’s advisor, Archpriest Nikolai Balashov; the deputy chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk; and the secretary to the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, Priest Nikolai Vasin. At Tbilisi International Airport, the guests were met by representatives of the Georgian Orthodox Church, including Metropolitan Andrei of Gori, as well as officials from diplomatic missions.

The visit’s itinerary was filled with pilgrimage trips. On September 29, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church visited Mtskheta—the ancient capital of Georgia. The delegation visited the Jvari Monastery, the Svetitskhoveli Patriarchal Cathedral, and the Samtavro Convent, where they venerated the holy relics, including those of the Holy Kings Mirian and Nana, Equal-to-the-Apostles, as well as those of the Venerable Gabriel of Samtavri.

In the afternoon, Metropolitan Anthony visited the Gori Diocese. Metropolitan Andrei of Gori organized a tour for the guests of the church museum, the diocesan administration, and the Orthodox gymnasium named after the Venerable George of Svyatogorsk. The visit concluded with a stop at the Ateni Sioni Convent, where the delegation toured the ancient 7th-century Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God, renowned for its unique 11th-century frescoes.