Introduction of Christianity in England and Georgia

1. INTRODUCTIONOFCHRISTIANITYIN
ENGLANDANDGEORGIA

2. when did Christianity come to England?
• The official and most common story is that Saint Augustine came in 597 AD on a Pope-sanctioned mission
to convert the pagans.
•
• This is the date we most commonly associate with the
arrival of Christianity in Britain and the eventual
conversion of Anglo-Saxons.

3. TimelineofChristianity:
Christianity has had a long and colourful history, especially in England.
This timeline starts from the second and third centuries when the first
evidence of Christianity in Roman Britain was found - all the way to the
present time.
FirstCentury:
43AD-RomanconquestofBritainbegan,allowingRomanmerchantstosharestorieswithlocals
aboutJesusandhisdisciples.
SecondandThirdCenturies:
Latesecondcentury-ArchaeologistssuggestthatChristianitywasproperlyintroduced
toBritain.
FourthandFifthCenturies:
303AD-TheGreatPersecutionbeganwithEmperorDiocletian’sdecreethatallchurchesweretobe
destroyed,allsacredtextsandpreciousliturgicalvesselsconfiscated,andmeetingsforworship
forbidden.AllChristianclergywerearrested.
304AD-AllRomancitizenswererequiredtomakeasacrificetotheRomangodsonpainofdeath.St
AlbanrefusedandbecamethefirstknownChristianmartyrinEngland.

4. whointroducedChristianityto
England?
ST.AUGUSTWASTHEPERSONWHOINTRODUCED
CHRISTIANITYTOENGLAND.
Almostnothingisknownoftheearlylifeofthe
manwhobroughtChristianitytomedieval
England.Augustinewasmostlikelylivingasa
monkinRomewhenin595,PopeGregorythe
Greatchosehimtoleadamissiontoconvertthe
paganAnglo-SaxonstotheChristianfaith.

5. Christianity in Georgia
According to Orthodox tradition, Christianity was first preached in Georgia
by the Apostles Simon and Andrew
in the 1st century. It became the state religion of Kartli (Iberia) in 319.
The conversion of Kartli to Christianity is credited to a Greek woman, St.
Nino of Cappadocia.
According to the legend, Nino received a vision where the Virgin Mary gave her a grapevine cross and
said: "Go to Iberia and tell there the Good Tidings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and you will find
favour before the Lord; and I will be for you a shield against all visible and invisible enemies.

6. First steps of Christianity in Georgia were taken in the first century. In the 1st
Century, Shortly after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, first preachers of
Christianity Andrea, Simon and Matata visited Georgia. However, they didn’t
succeed at spreading Christianity on a massive scale. Locals were still very loyal to
Zoroastrian beliefs.
In the 4th century, 16 year old girl called Nino came to Georgia from Cappadocia,
according to the legend Nino had a vision where Virgin Mary told her to go to
Iberia and preach Christianity. This is why she decided to make her way to
Mtskheta and settle here. At this time, Mtskheta was both the political and the
religious center of the kingdom. At this time King Mirian and Queen Nana ruled
Mtskheta.
It was Queen Nana, who became the first convert into Christianity. According to
the legend, Mirian converted soon after, because of a hunting incident: According
to the legend, during one of the hunts, Mirian found himself in complete
darkness. He prayed to his idols and it didn’t work, so he decided to give the god
of Nino a chance. The sun came shining and King Mirian decided to convert
himself and also the kingdom of Iberia.

7. The Georgian Orthodox Church
TheGeorgianOrthodoxChurchisoneoftheworld'soldestChristianChurches,and
traditiontracesitsorigins tothemission ofApostleAndrewinthe1stcentury.Itis
anautocephalous(self-headed)partoftheEasternOrthodoxChurch.Georgian
Orthodoxyhasbeen astatereligioninpartsof Georgiasincethe4thcentury,andis
themajorityreligioninthatcountry.
TheConstitutionofGeorgiarecognizesthespecialroleoftheGeorgianOrthodox
Churchinthecountry'shistorybutalsostipulatestheindependenceof thechurch
fromthestate.Therelationsbetween theStateandtheChurchareregulatedby
theConstitutionalAgreementof2002.

8. How many Christians live in Georgia?
In today’s Georgia, almost 90% of Georgians identify as a part of Georgian Orthodox
Church. Christianity has been the main pillar for the development of Georgian culture
and you’ll find the religious elements in abundance everywhere. It’s common to see
Icons or crosses decorating cars and sometimes even public transport. Most
common names in Georgia George (Giorgi), David (Davit), Mary (Mariam), Nino
became popular because of the saints.
The youth of Georgia has remained very loyal to Christianity and there’s only a slight
decrease of churchgoers in the new generations. It’s common to hear ringing bells in
the city as this is a way of summoning people to attend the services which usually
take place on Saturday Evenings and Sunday Mornings.

9. Bibliography:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_Orthodox_Church
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_Georgia_(country)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Christianity_in_Britain
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/st-augustines-abbey/history-and-stories/who-
was-st-augustine/#:~:text=A%20Papal%20Mission,Saxons%20to%20the%20Christian%20faith.

10. THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION!
PRESENTATION DESIGNER: NIA SVANIDZE