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CHAPTERS IN THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA 91
religion survive in legend and custom. The Church here, as
in Armenia, adhered at first to the Monophysite doctrine ;
but subsequently, in the sixth century, it adopted the creed of
Chalcedon, thus approaching more closely to the Byzantine
Church. The foundation of the first monasteries in the sixth
century must have played an important part in spreading the
Christian Faith among the people.
The see of the Katholikos, or primate of the Church, was
at Mtskhetha, where the first cathedral is said to have been
founded by King Vakhtang Gurgaslan (a.d. 446-499). He
had an independent position in the state, with dignity and
rights almost equal to those of the king. Clearly he inherited
his authority from the High Priest of the heathen state, of
whom Strabo speaks (XI, 4, 7) in writing of the Albanians.
Among the latter he was " the most highly honoured man
next to the king, and governed not only the sacred lands,
which were extensive and populous, but also the ministers
of the temple." He could direct that some of the priests
should be imprisoned in " sacred fetters," and after they had
been well fed for a year could have them sacrificed to the gods
" with their sacrificial animals."
The Katholikos had unrestricted power to administer not
only the Church, but his own and the Church’s extensive
lands, with numerous (about 237) villages, peasants, stewards,
officials, soldiers, and not a few noble vassals, besides thousands
of priests and monks. He furnished his own military force
under its own leader, appointed by himself. He and his
bishops owned a large number of slaves. The Church was
literally an imperium in imperio. But in spite of these great
powers the Georgian Church and its Katholikos never ex
ceeded the bounds, and throughout the centuries it has
remained the loyal supporter and ally of the Georgian state.
This is accounted for by the constant menace of other re
ligions from without, especially Islam after it spread to the
countries round.
About the middle of the sixth century Guaram became the
ruler of East Georgia. He was its first prince of the noble
Armenian family of the Bagratids, who in subsequent centuries
gave to the country many gifted kings. Persia and Byzan
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