Georgian Orthodox Patriarch Ilia II, hailed as an ‘epochal figure,’ dies at 93

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Georgian Orthodox Church leader Ilia II died on Tuesday at 93, the church said, after nearly five decades at the helm of one of Georgia’s most powerful institutions.

Ilia II was hospitalised on Tuesday morning in critical condition with “mass bleeding from the stomach,” the director of the Caucasus Medical Centre, Sopio Aspanidze, said.

“The Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, has reposed in the Lord,” Metropolitan Shio Mujiri, who will lead the church until the election of a new patriarch, said.

“He was an epochal figure; it is a tremendous loss for the entire Orthodox Church,” he added.

Ilia II led the Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church since 1977, when the Caucasus country was part of the Soviet Union and religious practices were restricted, making him one of the world’s longest-serving religious leaders.

A new patriarch is set to be elected within two months.

Pall bearers carry the coffin that contain the remains of Georgia’s Patriarch Ilia II at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi, 18 March, 2026

141st primate of the Georgian Church

Born Irakli Ghudushauri-Shiolashvili in 1933, he rose through the Soviet-era church hierarchy and became a dominant spiritual and public figure after Georgia regained independence.

The 141st primate of the Georgian Church was widely respected at home, playing a stabilising role in times of political crisis, often mediating between rival factions.

Under his leadership, the church expanded its influence in Georgian politics and public life, while remaining close to the state.

One of the world’s 14 self-governed Orthodox churches, the Georgian church traces its origins to the early 4th century, when Christianity became the state religion of the ancient Georgian kingdom of Iberia.