Georgia Church Dress Code

Georgian Church Dress Code follows the general rules of Orthodox Christianity. If you’re planning to visit Georgia, at one point you’ll be entering a church for sure. In this article you’ll find all the information you need to confidently enter a Georgian Orthodox Church without violating the dress code & rules of behavior.

Georgian Church Dress Code – Women

When going to the Georgian orthodox churches, women need to follow a strict dress code, the general rule is to be dressed modestly without revealing too much skin. Women in Georgian Churches are expected to wear:

1. A Head Scarf – or something similar – Hoodie, Beanie, A cap – Anything that covers the hair at least partially is good.
2. A Dress – Trousers, especially skinny fit are restricted and the priests will object.
   • Note that the Dresses have to be at least down to the knee length.
3. A top covering the shoulders – Churches are very strict with revealing clothes, both Men & Women are supposed to wear modest tops covering the chest & the shoulders.

Note: The rules are not enforced consistently. Some of the churches are stricter than the others. Even though most of the Churches provide Head Scarves and Wrap-around dresses at the entrances, they are not required to. It’s better to keep a scarf handy when planning to visit churches. If you don’t have a dress, it’s not the end of the world. Some churches will still allow you in even with the trousers, however shorts are a no-go.

Georgian Church Dress Code – Men

At first it might seem that there’s a lot of rules for the ladies and men have it easy in Georgian Orthodox church. This opinion will quickly change if you visit Georgia in summertime. Men in Georgian churches are expected to:

1. Wear ONLY long trousers – down to the ankle – shorts are not allowed.
2. Men should take their hats of when entering a church
3. Men should not wear revealing clothes and should have their chest & shoulders covered. Wearing tank tops in churches is not allowed.

General rules of behavior in Georgian Orthodox churches

There are a few rules in the Georgian Orthodox church, which are split to genders. However, most of the rules apply to everyone. Below you’ll find the rules you should always keep in mind.

1. Don’t step on the altar – The altar is considered a sacred ground and only the servants of the church are allowed to enter.
2. Don’t sit in the chair in the center of the church – This is the chair of the patriarch and you’ll see them in most churches. It’s only for the leader of the Georgian church
3. Silence your phone, Do not talk loudly and try your best to remain as quite as you can
4. Don’t take photos without asking someone
5. Don’t use flash when taking a photo, most of the churches have frescoes painted few hundred years ago and you could cause damage

If you want to know more about how the Georgian Religion was formed, you can read the following article: Georgian Religion