Georgia is celebrating the anniversary of the Restoration of self-governance or autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church today.

The Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, conducted a solemn service at the Sioni Cathedral.

The President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Parliament and other leaders of the majority personally congratulated the Patriarch on the Day of Restoration of Autocephaly. They attended a service at Sioni Cathedral.

The Georgian Orthodox Church was granted autocephaly by Antioch in 457. Centuries later in 1811 the Russian Empire illegally abolished the autocephalous status of the Georgian Church despite strong opposition in Georgia, and the Georgian Church was subjected to the synodical rule of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Georgian Church regained autocephaly in 1917, but the Russian Church recognized the independence of the Georgian Church only as late as 1943.