The XI International Scientific Conference - Archival Studies and Source Studies — Trends and Challenges has opened at the National Archives of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia. This year’s conference is dedicated to the 1,700th anniversary of the proclamation of Christianity as the state religion in Georgia.

By embracing Christianity and proclaiming it the state religion, Georgia chose a spiritual path that shaped the country’s culture, thought, state development, and values. Its influence can be seen in architecture, painting, religious chant, literature, and other fields of cultural life.

The conference was opened by Deputy Minister of Justice Tamar Zodelava and Director General of the National Archives Teona Iashvili. The participants were also welcomed by Claudia Rapp, Professor at the University of Vienna and Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, and Ketevan Asatiani, Head of the Scientific Department of the National Archives.

More than 40 Georgian and international scholars are taking part in the conference. They will present the latest research on the spread of Christianity in the South Caucasus and its proclamation as the state religion, examining these developments in the context of parallel processes in the Roman and Sassanian Empires and narratives that have emerged around the world.

The presentations will address the work of Christian missionaries, the development of monasticism, the organizational transformation of the Georgian Church, liturgy, and the history of saints and religious feasts. Particular attention will be given to the role of Christianity as a literate religion, as well as to Christian art and culture, medieval historiography, and perceptions of religion in the late medieval and modern periods.

The conference will be held at the National Archives of Georgia through 3 October.