Georgia to bury Patriarch Ilia II on 22 March

Georgia’s Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II will be laid to rest at Sioni Cathedral on 22 March, following a decision announced after a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

His body is being transferred today to the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi, where mourners are expected to pay their respects.

Patriarch Ilia II, who led the Georgian Orthodox Church for decades, died on 17 March at the age of 93. A period of national mourning has been declared across the country.