CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL REFORMS DRIVEN BY EREKLE II THE KING AND CATHOLICOS ANTON I THE GREAT

Abstract

The article overviews the cultural and educational reforms and measures carried out as a result of the cooperation of the state and the church in the second half of the 18th century, which played an essential role in the revival and strengthening
of the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti, then being on the verge of collapse.
The geopolitical reality had been determined by the interests of the Persian and Ottoman Islamic powers which intended to exterminate the Georgian community and the transformation of local territories into imperial provinces. Notably, they were engaged in Georgians’ moral and mental degradation.
Erekle II, the king of Kartli-Kakheti and the catholicos Anton I the Great actively fought against this policy. As a result of their joint efforts, the rule of consecration of the king as a Christian was restored in Georgia, the positions of the church were strengthened, cultural-educational relations with the North Caucasus were renewed, and the living conditions of the local population improved.