On September 28, 2001, at the meeting of the Great Board of the Georgian Technical University, blessing by the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi, Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, a decision was made to establish the Department of Theology at the Faculty (Dean R. Kutateladze). The meeting of the Board was attended by His Holiness and Blessed Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II, members of the Holy Synod. This was the first visit of the patriarch to the Georgian Technical University, which is a truly historical date and it was written in golden letters in the annals of engineering education. In his speech, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia ordered: Only a believing person is a slave of God, and a believing and educated person is a friend of the God
The composition of the Great Board unanimously supported the nomination of the member of the Holy Synod, Archbishop of Manglisi and Tsalka, Venerable Anania, to the position of Leader of the Cathedral.
His Holiness ended his speech with the following words: “I congratulate you on this happy day and I would like to remind you that Archbishop Reverend Anania, who is distinguished by his erudition and deep thinking in the Holy Synod, has been elected as the head of the cathedra, and I want to say that this is a very good choice. This is to your great credit”. The Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia presented the rector of the Technical University with a copy of the gilded cover of the 13th-14th century Gospels preserved in the Iverta Monastery in Athos, Greece, and blessed the present community and all of Georgia with the grace of Fathers Ioane, Ekvtime and Giorgi Mtatsmindeli who worked there.
The Rector of the Technical University awarded His Holiness and Blessed, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Ilia II for his great contribution to the spiritual and intellectual development of the Georgian nation.

The selection of the teaching staff of the newly founded department was carried out with the recommendation and blessing of His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II. At the first gathering of teachers of the Theology Department with His Holiness, in the Patriarchate, His Holiness instructed them and drew their attention to the great importance and responsibility of the Theology Department not only to the university, but to the whole country; For the full-fledged work of the department, he set the following goals for the teachers: taking into account the specifics of the university, showing special attention and kindness in dealing with students and professors of other fields, serious preparation for lectures and seminar classes, drawing up a work plan by each lecturer, producing abstracts and other.
The first members of the Department of Theology were teachers of schools under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Georgia and clerics working in churches-monasteries, who had great experience in educational and scientific work. In particular, Protopresbyter Giorgi Gamrekeli, deacons: Zakaria Dzindzibadze, Giorgi Djibuti, Amiran Amiranashvili, Vakhtang Asatiani, Mikael Chabashvili; Priests: Bidzina Gunia, Giorgi Malkhazishvili, Konstantine Giorgadze, Maxime Chanturia, Mikael Chanturia, Mikael Macharadze, Guram Guramishvili, Theodore Gignadze, Giorgi Doreuli, Mikael Kapanadze, Davit Chanturia, Mikael Bukia, Archdeacon Demetri Davitashvili; Teachers: Zurab Levanadze, Zurab Ekaladze, Giorgi Maisuradze, Sergo Farulava, Levan Bukia, Zviad Barkalaia, Mzia Tsiklauri, Gocha Gugushvili. Over time, the composition of teachers changed and priests had to work at the cathedra: Ilia Tsereteli, Samoel Zviadauri, Levan Mekoshvili, Giorgi Baghiauri, Avtandil Gulashvili, Levan Matheshvili, Kakhaber Shurghaia, Giorgi Shashviashvili, Luka Palavandishvili, Vakhtang Kvizhinadze, Konstantine Davitashvili, Ivane Epitashvili. Teachers: Gocha Asatiani, Giorgi Tserodze, Ketevan Pavliashvili, Varlam Khatridze, Ioane (Jemal) Chigladze and others.
On March 25, 2002, a scientific conference dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the restoration of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church was held in GTU, which was attended by His Holiness and Beatitude, Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II, members of the Holy Synod. The participants of the conference listened with great interest to the report of Reverend Anania, Head of the Department of Theology. Employees of the Department of Theology also gave interesting reports. With the blessing of His Holiness, Reverend Anania founded and blessed the chapel named after St. George in the administrative building of GTU in 2002 with the support of the rector’s office. Later, chapels named after St. Nino and St. David Agmashenebeli were founded and consecrated in the I and II buildings.
In the history of the Department of Theology, the first international conference with the motto: science and religion, which was held on May 23-24, 2005 at the Georgian Technical University, and was organized by the Patriarchate of Georgia, the Engineering Academy of Georgia, the Georgian Academy of Sciences, the International Informatization Academy of the United Nations, V.A.  Trapeznikov Institute of Management Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Georgian Technical University, Georgian Society of History of Science.

The conference was attended by His Holiness and Blessed, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II, members of the Holy Synod, prominent scientists and public figures of our country, foreign guests; Academicians K. Frolov, V. Burkov, B. Gusev, Professors: N. Columbus, J. Houghcroft and others. Conference participants listened to the report of Metropolitan Anania Japaridze: The state structure of Georgia during the reign of kings Farnavazian and Bagration; report on the topic of science and religion, knowledge and belief, systemic relations; The report was made by the vice-president of the National Academy of Sciences of Georgia, the president of the Engineering Academy of Georgia, the director of the V.A. Trapeznikov of Institute of Management Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, academician Ivery Frangishvili, who played a major role in the organization and holding of the mentioned conference.

Next Conference: Science and Religion; It was held on June 6, 2006 and it was dedicated to the memory of great scientist and public figure, academician Iverი Prangishvili. At this conference, Professor I. Gorgidze awarded the diplomas of Honorary to the Academicians of the Engineering Academy, to His Holiness and Blessedness, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II and Metropolitan Professor Anania Japaridze, Head of the Department of Theology of GTU. Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II and Metropolitan Anania Japaridze were elected as honorary members of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences.

In 2006, the Department of Theology was transformed into a Theology Training and Research Center (Faculty of Business-Engineering), headed by Metropolitan Anania Japaridze, Deputy Head by Professor Ivane Gorgidze, the anniversary scientific conference was dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the department, which was held at the Technical University on February 14, 2007 in the hall named after Giorgi Nikoladze. The jubilee scientific conference was attended by His Holiness and Beatitude, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II and members of the Holy Synod.
On the basis of the Department of Theology, a training-scientific center of theology was created. The scientific-historical journal Svetitskhoveli was founded by the Patriarchate of Georgia, the Engineering Academy of Georgia and the Theological Research Center of the Technical University of Georgia; the editor-in-chief of which is still Professor, Metropolitan Anania Japaridze, the deputy editor-in-chief over the years have been professors: Vladimer Dolidze, Nana Khazaradze and Mamuka Matsaberidze; Currently, together with Mamuka Matsaberidze, the deputy editor is professor, dean Levan Matheshvili, the members of the editorial board are professors: Zurab Gasitashvili, Davit Gurgenidze, Ivane Gorgidze, Vakhtang Guruli, Alexander Grigolishvili, Giorgi Kokoshashvili, Tamar Lominadze, Shalva Nachkebia, Givi Gambashidze, Archil Prangishvili, Tariel Putkaradze, Maka Khartishvili, Temur Jagodnishvili, Guram Javakhadze, Responsible Secretary Ketevan Makhashvili. The magazine was published by MedinService JSC, and currently with the support of Technical University.
It is significant that the edition of Svetitskhovli magazine, founded by the Catholic of All Georgia at the time, was actually restored at the beginning of the 20th century (in 1917) by the ordination of the holy priest-martyr Patriarch Kirion II.
Many good deeds were done at the Georgian Technical University with the active participation of the teachers of the Theology Training and Research Center. First of all, in terms of purification and strengthening of the spirituality of employees and students. All major church holidays are celebrated at the base of the center, which has become a university tradition. An important achievement during the existence of the center is the creation of a doctoral program in theology, within the framework of which about 20 doctoral students are already studying. Doctoral theses are protected. The center's employees participate in international conferences, grant programs, monographs, manuals have been prepared by them. For 18 years, about fifty thousand students mastered the basics of theology.