Religion Among the Laz People

The religious history of the Laz people reflects the broader spiritual transformations of the Black Sea and Caucasus regions over two millennia.

Early Christianity

The ancient Kingdom of Lazica (Egrisi) was one of the earliest states in the Caucasus to adopt Christianity. By the 4th century AD, Christianity had become firmly established among the Laz, and the kingdom maintained close ecclesiastical ties with Constantinople. Numerous churches and monasteries were built throughout Lazistan, some ruins of which can still be found in the mountains of modern-day Artvin and Rize provinces. The Laz played an important role in the spread of Christianity throughout the Caucasus.

Conversion to Islam

Following the Ottoman conquest of the eastern Black Sea coast in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Laz gradually converted to Sunni Islam over a period of several centuries. This conversion was largely completed by the 18th century. The process was gradual and often pragmatic, driven by economic incentives, social pressure, and the administrative advantages of being Muslim in the Ottoman system.

Present Day

Today, the vast majority of Laz people are Sunni Muslims of the Hanafi school. Islam is deeply woven into the social and cultural fabric of Laz communities, particularly in rural areas. However, some Laz in Georgia (especially in the Adjara region) maintained their Christian faith or have returned to Christianity in recent decades. The religious landscape of the Laz people today is thus predominantly Muslim, with a small Christian minority in Georgia.