This book illustrates, using the example of Georgia and the Georgian Orthodox Church, how religion and the church influence nation-building. Through concise examples from both the past and present, and incorporating theories of nation-building, it traces the formation of the Georgian nation as an imagined community. The author gives particular importance to the often-overlooked influence of religion and the church in research. This is the first comprehensive overview of the close connection between nation-building and Orthodoxy in Georgia. In addition to theories of nation-building regarding the relationship between nation, language, religion, and modernity, as well as the peculiarities of Christian Orthodoxy and the fundamental aspects of Soviet nationality policy, this book presents the history and church history of Georgia.