George the Hagiorite into a vibrant center of Georgian Orthodox culture. At some point between 1052 and 1057, George left his fellow monk George of Oltisi in charge of the Iviron monastery, and set off to Antioch to appear before the Patriarch to defend his brethren, accused by a group of the Greek clerics of heresy. The dispute quickly evolved around the canonical legality of the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox church, which had originally operated within the framework of the see of Antioch, but had been becoming increasingly independent since the 6th century. In defense of the Georgian autocephaly, George was referring
Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Michalovce and Roman Catholics). At the end of 17th century it was severely damaged by fire. In the 18th century it was restored by initiative and the patronage of the Hungarian Count Imre Sztáray. What was originally a gothic church now obtained Baroque architecture. To this day the Gothic church bell tower remains, and the Church has maintained a Gothic-styled interior. Other sights include an epitaph of an unknown Hungarian aristocrat, as well as a baroque altar dating from 1721 with a younger altarpiece of the Virgin Mary (the original was transferred to the Jesuit church in nearby Uzhhorod), a plaque