Abkhazian Orthodox Church

The Abkhazian Orthodox Church (Russian Абхазская Православная церковь ) is a non-canonical Orthodox Church in the field of the disputed Republic of Abkhazia. It refers to the history of the partially autonomous Church of Abkhazia, which evolved in the Kingdom of Abkhazia of the 8th century. This followed the Christianisation of the 4th to the 6th century. The Catholicos resided first in Poti, later in Kutais. From the 9th century the chief bishop of Abkhazia held the title of Catholicos, but without the subordination has been completely abandoned under the Georgian Catholicos. In the 15th century this was done, however, and since the 16th century led to the Catholicos of Abkhazia the title of Patriarch. The most important patriarch was Eudaimon Chkhetidze I. (1543-1578), who initiated a joint synod of the Abkhaz and Georgian Church for the restoration of the liturgy. In 1814, after the integration of Georgia into the Russian Tsarist Empire, extinguished the independent patriarchate in Abkhazia.

Later she worked as Sukhumi Eparchy / Abkhazia part of the Georgian Orthodox Church. On 15 September 2009, the defection of the Abkhaz Church of the Georgian church was in a meeting of the clergy unilaterally decided and announced by the Administrator of the Eparchy of Sukhumi, Vissarion Apliaa, the following day. The Georgian church distanced himself in the wake of this declaration.