Egrisi

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This article is part of the series on: History of Georgia
Early History
Kura-Araxes
Diauehi
Colchis
Egrisi
Caucasian Iberia
Medieval History
Tao-Klarjeti
Kingdom of Abkhazeti-Egrisi
Russian Rule
Georgia Under Imperial Russia
Early Independence
Democratic Republic of Georgia
Soviet Georgia
Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic
March 9 Tragedy
April 9 Tragedy
Modern Georgia
Republic of Georgia
Georgian Civil War
Rose Revolution
Post-Shevardnadze
History By Autonomous Republics
History of Abkhazia
History of Adjara

Egrisi (or Kolkheti) known to the ancient Greeks and Romans as Lazica and Persians as Lazistan was a kingdom in the western part of Georgia, which flourished between the 6th century BC and the 7th century AD. It covered the territory of the former kingdom Kolkha (Colchis) and the territory of modern Abkhazia. Thoroughout its existence it was mainly a Byzantine Empire strategic vassal kingdom occasionally coming under the Sassanid Persian rule.

At some point in the early 4th century AD, the Christian Eparchy or bishopric of Pitiunt (Bichvinta in Georgian) was established in this kingdom. In 325 among the participants of the First Council of Nicaea was the Bishop of Pitiunt, Stratophilus. The Bichvinta Cathedral (5th century) is one of oldest monuments of the Georgian Christian architecture. The first Christian king of Egrisi was Gubaz I; in the 5th century, Christianity was made the official religion of Egrisi.