The Veneration of Saint Savvas the Sanctified in Georgia

The popularity of Saint Savvas the Sanctified in Georgia is reflected in the numerous depictions of him in works of art and the churches dedicated to him.

It is further reflected in the fact that his Life written by Cyril of Scythopolis was translated into Georgian as early as the late 6th or early 7th century, although the earliest Georgian manuscript dates to 864 (Sinai georg. MS 32, 33, 57). Sinai georg. MS 65 includes "Old Georgian Hymns" dedicated to Saint Savvas.

These seem to have been translated and composed and then brought to Georgia by Georgian authors who lived and labored at the Lavra of Savvas in Palestine since the 6th and 7th century, such as Martviri (6th-7th cent.) and Seity (late 8th cent.).

The Monastery Where Saint George Karslides Was Tonsured a Monk

 

Saint George Karslides, then known as Athanasios, left his abusive uncle as a young child and was miraculously brought by Saint George the Trophy-Bearer on his horse to a priest to take care of him. By the age of nine he was already made a novice and dressed in the cassock. He lived in asceticism at the Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Dranda of Abkhazia, which dates to the 11th-12th century (some believe it was built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian). Though it was destroyed a few times since then by the Ottomans, it was rebuilt and took on today's appearance, which is a mixture of Byzantine and Georgian architecture.

Saint Dodo of Gareji (+ 623)

A companion of Saint David of Gareji, Saint Dodo was born around 532 and belonged to the royal family Andronikashvili. He was tonsured a monk while still a youth, and was endowed with every virtue.

An admirer of poverty and solitude, he labored as a hermit at Ninotsminda in Kakheti.

Having heard about the miracles of David of Gareji, Saint Dodo set off for the Gareji Wilderness to witness them himself. The venerable fathers greeted one another warmly and began laboring there together.

The Tomb of Saint Nina in Bodbe Monastery

 

According to Georgian tradition, Saint Nina (or Nino), having witnessed the conversion of Georgians to the Christian faith, withdrew to the Bodbe gorge, in Kakheti, where she died in 338 on 14 January. The cause of her death was "fever and chills", which in modern terminology corresponds to malaria. Grieving over the death of the Enlightener of Georgia, King Mirian III (r. 284-361) decided to take the Saint to Mtskheta and bury her in front of Cathedral of Svetitskhoveli, where the tunic of Christ (allotted to Georgian Jews after the Crucifixion) was buried. However not even two hundred men could move the small coffin in which Nina was carried. Because of this the corpse of the Saint was buried in Bodbe, and the whole kingdom mourned for her for thirty days. King Mirian had a church built at the site of Nina's burial, which later became a convent. Before passing away King Mirian said to Queen Nana, “You, Nana, if God grants you enough time, divide the royal treasury into two and sacrifice half of it to the tomb. Let this place be honored unto the ages.”

 

 

Bishop in Georgia Sprinkles with Holy Water the Wards of Patients with Covid- 19

 

 

 

Metropolitan Nikoloz (Pachuashvili) of Akhalkalaki, Kumurdo and Kari sprinkles with Holy Water a ward of patients with Covid-19 at Tbilisi Hospital in Georgia.  

 

Holy Martyr Abo the Perfumer of Baghdad (+ 786)

St. Abo the Perfumer (Feast Day - January 8)

Saint Abo was born of pure Arab stock in Baghdad, raised a Muslim and practicing the trade of perfumer. At that time, the latter half of the eighth century, Nerses prince of Georgia was imprisoned in Baghdad by Caliph Al Mansur (754-775) for three years. When Nerses was released and permitted to return to Georgia, Abo, by the inspiration of God, being seventeen or eighteen years old, entered into his service and, leaving all his family behind, went to Georgia with him. There he learned Georgian, read the Old and New Testaments, attended church services with interest and zeal, and began to fast and pray secretly, since Georgia was in the control of the Saracens and he could not become a Christian openly.

Saint John of Zedazeni and his Twelve Disciples of Georgia

St. John of Zedazeni and his Twelve Disciples (Feast Day - May 7)

Our Holy Father John of Zedazeni and his twelve disciples, Abibus of Nekresi, Anthony of Martqopi, David of Gareji, Zenon of Iqalto, Thaddeus of Stepantsminda, Jesse of Tsilkani, Joseph of Alaverdi, Isidore of Samtavisi, Michael of Ulumbo, Pyrrhus of Breti, Stephen of Khirsa, and Shio of Mgvime, were Syrian ascetics and the founding fathers of Georgian monastic life.

Saint John received his spiritual education in Antioch. Early in his youth he was tonsured a monk and withdrew to the wilderness. The Lord, recognizing his humility, diligence in fasting, and devout watchfulness, blessed His faithful servant with the gift of healing the sick and casting out demons. Saint John was celebrated for his holy deeds and miracles. Curious crowds would swarm around him, and after some time he found it necessary to withdraw into even deeper seclusion.

Saint Anton the Stylite of Martqopi, Founder of Monasticism in Georgia

St. Anton of Martqopi (Feast Day - January 19 and August 16)

By Archpriest Zakaria Machitadze

Our holy father Anton (Anthony) was from Edessa and lived in the 6th century. After the unsuccessful siege of the city by the Iranian Shah Khosrov I Anushirvan, Anton left the city, taking from the Nestorian church a copy of the Not-Made-By-Hands Icon of the Savior, imprinted on a clay tablet, and went to Georgia with his teacher John of Zedazni. He arrived in Georgia with the rest of the Thirteen Syrian Fathers and settled in Kakheti to preach the gospel of Christ. He always carried with him the icon of the Savior “Not-Made-By-Hands.” 

 

In Georgia, Anton settled on Mount Akriani (east of Tbilisi, later on this place a temple was built in the name of the Image of the Savior Not Made By Hands) and converted to Christianity the inhabitants of the vicinity of the Zedazen and Ikaltoi mountains, the villages of Akhmety and Lopotiskhevi (north-east of Tbilisi). Anton made his home in the wilderness, and deer visited him every evening to nourish him with their milk.

One day the deer arrived earlier than expected, and they were followed by a wounded fawn. Clearly something had frightened them. When Anton retraced the animals’ path, he discovered a nobleman, the head of a nearby village, hunting in the fields. Astonished to see the old monk with his icon, standing amidst a gathering of deer, the nobleman, being a pagan, became convinced that he was dangerous and ordered his servants to take him to a smith and chop off his hands.

Anton was led at once to the smith, but when the craftsman heated his sword and drew it above the monk’s hands in preparation, he fell down suddenly and his arms became like wood. The daunted smith fell mute, but blessed Anton made the sign of the Cross over him and he was immediately healed.

Having heard about this miracle, the nobleman perceived that Abba Anton was truly holy, and he began to hold him in reverence. “Tell me what you need, and I will provide it for you,” he told Elder Anton. The monk requested a single piece of salt, and they brought him two large blocks. He broke off a small piece and placed it near his cell for the deer.

After the incident at the smith’s, many people began to visit Anton, and the holy father constructed a monastery for the faithful. But before long their attention became burdensome, and Elder Anton fled from the world to the peak of a mountain. There he began to preach from the top of a pillar, where he would remain the last fifteen years of his life. Because he lived most of his life alone, he was nicknamed "Martomkofeli", which means secluded, from which the area of the of the Monastery was named Martqopi.

 

 

When God revealed to Fr. Anton the day of his repose, the monk-stylite gathered his pupils, imparted to them a few last words of wisdom, blessed them, and died on his knees in front of his beloved icon.

St. Anton’s body was taken down from the pillar and buried in the monastery that he had founded, before the icon of the Theotokos. Healings were performed at his tomb, and miraculously, no female creature could penetrate the place where his ashes rested. 

 

The Location Where the Head of St. John the Baptist Was Found the Third Time

During the time of Iconoclasm, the head of Saint John the Baptist was secretly taken from Constantinople by pious Christians, who hid it in Comana (or Kamani, near Sukhumi of Abkhazia), the city where Saint Basiliskos was martyred and Saint John Chrysostom died in exile. (In 1884, the Greek scholar Konstantinos Vrissis visited the area and conjectured that it was Kamani, not Comana Pontica, where John Chrysostom died and was initially buried). In Comana it was taken up a mountain and hidden in a place difficult to get to. When Orthodoxy was reestablished in Constantinople, a divine vision came to a priest in Comana informing him of the location of the head of Saint John, and by imperial decree it was brought back to Constantinople, where it was received by the Emperor and Patriarch and all the Orthodox people, and placed in Studion Monastery for veneration. This took place in the year 850 and is celebrated as the Third Finding of the Head of Saint John the Baptist.

An Orthodox Chapel Inside a 400 Year Old Oak Tree

This chapel in a 400-year-old oak tree is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and located in the Kutaisi Botanical Garden in Kutaisi, Georgia.

The Relics of St. Maximus the Confessor in Georgia Authenticated

The excavation pit with the Saint's relics, 2010.

Tamara Manelashvili
October 27, 2015
Pravoslavie.ru

With the blessing of His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia the Fifth International Theological Conference was held in Tbilisi. This year scientists, researchers, and Church figures from Serbia, Greece, Russia, the UK and Australia took part in the conference which was dedicated to the life and activity of St. Maximus the Confessor (c. 580-c. 662; feast: August 13/26).

At the conference the results were announced of the investigations lasting several years that were dedicated to the authenticity of the saint’s relics uncovered in Georgia in 2010.

Lost 11th Century Okoni Triptych Icon Returned to Georgia

April 14, 2015
Agenda.ge

Gori, a small town in eastern Georgia that became the epicentre for the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, is celebrating Okonoba, the day of the icon believed to be Gori’s patron.

This holiday is a big deal for the Gori population as they believed the ancient icon miraculously returned home after it went missing when an armed conflict broke out in Georgia’s breakaway Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region in the 90s.

The Okoni Triptych, a unique and precious 11th century icon, was lost in the 90s but miraculously reappeared at Christie's, the world’s largest art business and a fine arts auction house in 2001. The initial price of the icon was $2 million USD and it was presented at Christie's in Geneva, Switzerland by a Russian citizen.

After lengthy negotiations between the Georgian and Swiss governments, Christie's Auction House and the Georgian Orthodox Church, the icon was finally handed to the Georgian side.

Georgian Priest Who Died in Ferry Disaster Praised for Heroic Rescue Effort

A witness has told how a Georgian priest helped save people before he himself perished in the Norman Atlantic disaster.

January 4, 2015

Democracy and Freedom Watch

Father Ilia Kartozia reinforced other passengers’ confidence, which aided in the evacuation of the doomed ferry, Irakli, a Georgian survivor told Italian daily la Repubblica.

Myrrh Abundantly Dripping from an Icon of Saint Gabriel in Georgia (video)

In the home of a family in the country of Georgia, an icon of the recently canonized Saint Gabriel has been dripping myrrh since July. It is a family with two children, and they are all described as very good people.

The woman of the house in which the icon can be found explains: "This is the icon I bought at Easter. I placed in a spot it deserves - in the sacred corner. About three months ago, it began to drip myrrh. I wiped the icon and noticed that the fabric was damp. A very large flow started. There was myrrh across the surface of the icon. After a week, I noticed a crack in the glass. In the morning, at 4:00AM dawn, I heard a creaking sound. You can see how the myrrh is dripping."

When the Virgin Mary Appeared to the Mother of Patriarch Ilia of Georgia

On the day of the feast of the Presentation of the Theotokos (according to the Old Calendar), Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia spoke of a miracle she worked for his mother. Specifically the Patriarch said:

"I remember my childhoood, how a Saturday or Sunday did not pass without my mother and my father taking us to church, to the Church of the Prophet Elias in Vladikavkaz. One day our mother told us children:

'Stay here, and I will go out.'

A Narration on the Conversion of the Iberian Nation by a Woman

St. Nina, Equal to the Apostles (Feast Day - January 14 and October 27)

The following narration of the conversion of the Iberians by a woman, not named in the account but popularly known by the name of Nina, in 332 A.D. was given by Theodoret in his Ecclesiastical History (Bk. 1, Chs. 23,24), and placed for commemoration by St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite on October 27th. Below is the account of Theodoret, together with the Verse of Praise by St. Nikodemos.

A Narration on the Conversion of the Iberians, otherwise Called Georgians, Brought to the Knowledge of God by a Woman

Verses


The modest woman did a great work,

She converted the entire nation of the Iberians.

A Mysterious Mass Conversion From Islam to Christianity in Georgia

The Church of Saint Nicholas in Batumi

Ian Hamel

September 15, 2013

Oumma.com

In 1991, 75% of Adjarians in Georgia were Muslims. Today, they have become 75% Orthodox Christians. How can these conversions be explained, which is apparently unique in the world?

"What time do services begin at Saint Nicholas in Batumi on Sunday morning?" The question embarrasses the employee of the President Plaza, one of the largest institutions in the city, a seat of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara and the Iranian consulate. It is true that in this province of Georgia, washed by the Black Sea, the population speaks little English. All signs, such as signs in the streets, are in Georgian or Russian. The employee eventually suggests joining the Church of Saint Nicholas at 9:00 AM. In fact, the Service works strangely like a self-service. The faithful men, women (head always covered) and children come and go as they please, after long embracing of the icons and after they have crossed themselves multiple times.

This curious to and fro takes most of the morning. The priest can hardly talk to us, since he speaks only Russian and Georgian. A female student, smiling, who graduated in the language of Shakespeare, came to our rescue. We ask her the question: "How is it that the majority of the inhabitants of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara in Georgia, have in two decades abandoned Islam for Orthodoxy?" The girl apologizes, caught unaware, and prefers to dodge quickly.

Ottoman and Russian province

But the facts are there, Adjara, conquered by the Ottomans in the seventeenth century, becomes overwhelmingly Muslim. In 1878, this province of 3000 km2 falls into the lap of the Russian Empire. In 1991, after the fall of communism and the independence of Georgia, Adjara seceded. Until 2004, this "independent" Republic is ruled by a dictator, a Muslim, Aslan Abashidze, now on the run. Since then Adjara (400,000) has returned to the bosom of Georgia.

According to official documents, in 1991, 75% of Adjarians were Muslims. They are now 75% Orthodox. How can this mass conversion be explained? In a long interview published in December 2012, Metropolitan Dimitri of Batumi (the capital of Adjara), also nephew of Ilia II, Patriarch of Georgia, says he was appointed parish priest of St. Nicholas in Batumi in 1986. At that time, there was only one Orthodox church in Batumi.

The Great Mosque in Batumi

"It is God's will"

Dimitri states that "the metamorphosis of an entire region, this conversion from Islam to Orthodoxy, or rather the return to basics, to the faith of their ancestors," took place before his eyes. On 13 May 1991 "5000 Muslims and atheists became Orthodox. The same year the Church opened a school in Khulo, an ecclesiastical high school named Saint Andrew, the first religious high school in the USSR." The Metropolitan of Batumi says that Adjarians were forcibly converted to Islam by the Ottomans though, in fact, they remained Christian at heart. According to his statement, they continued to secretly wear a cross, they painted Easter eggs, and they retained the icons in their homes.

Dimitri adds that many priests come from Muslim families. The rector of the seminary is the grandson of a mullah, formed in Istanbul. How can one explain the conversions brought forward on the website Provoslavie i mir (Orthodoxy and the World): "It is God's will. It is a miracle of God, for unexplained reasons that could not have been predicted," says Dimitri.

Missionaries from Turkey

The Great Mosque of Batumi is a few blocks from the Church of Saint Nicholas, near the port. First observation: it is actually a lot less crowded than the Orthodox place of worship. Nevertheless, some local publications were denouncing a "return to Islam supported by Turkey." But during our stay in Adjara, we have not seen this "Islamic Turkish fairly consistent presence" due to "the influx of missionaries," including disciples of the Turkish preacher Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan.

The Sarpi border entrance with Turkey is only twenty kilometers from Batumi. If the capital of Adjara became overwhelmingly Christian, however, the small villages in the mountains of Adjara have not yet denied the Prophet. The village of Khulo, more than two hours away from the Black Sea, has a mosque and a madrasa. We were told that some seniors continue to speak Turkish, but we cannot verify it.

Peaceful coexistence of Muslims and Christians in Batumi

A national  and Orthodox state

For the visitor from the outside, the two religions appear to coexist smoothly. The Adjarians tell you without hesitation directions to the church or the nearest mosque. Nobody mentions any persecution vis-à-vis minority religions. However, these mass conversions remain taboo. Especially as the other Muslims of Georgia (about 10% of the population) do not seem to adopt Orthodoxy as quickly. Including Kistins, ethnic Chechens near the border with Chechnya and Dagestan, and Shiites in eastern Georgia, neighboring Azerbaijan.

"We must understand that the Orthodox Church is a fundamental pillar of our national identity. In the past, we have been invaded by all our great neighbors, the Persians, the Ottomans, the Russians. If there had not been the cement of religion, there would be no longer any people of Georgia," said Alina Okkropiridze, former journalist and translator. After seventy years of state atheism, at the time of the USSR, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, the first Georgian president, wanted to create a "national and Orthodox" state. His successor, Eduard Shevardnadze, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, took care "to announce his conversion to Orthodoxy, to be baptized and to choose as his spiritual director Patriarch Ilia II, the head of the Georgian Church since 1977," says the Swiss website Religioscope.

Batumi, the city of the future

Dismantling of a minaret

Clearly, over the last two decades, the powers, the media, and nationalist parties have have constantly repeated that a true Georgian must foremost be Orthodox. Is it enough to explain, as stated by Metropolitan Dimitri, "the return to the faith of their ancestors" of the Adjarians? At the end of August, in the district of Adiguéni, in southwest Georgia, the authorities dismantled a minaret on the grounds that customs duties were not paid for construction materials. Muslims who opposed the destruction of the building were arrested. "A very 'unrthodox' way to act that just aims for the exile of the Muslim people," complains one local site in an article titled "Georgia: the minaret of discord."

Translated by John Sanidopoulos. 

Read also:

Islam and Religious Transformation in Adjara

Religious Crossings and Conversions on the Muslim-Christian Frontier in Georgia and Kyrgyzstan

An Interview With Metropolitan Dimitri of Batumi and Lazeti

Georgian Church Declares 2013 'the Year of Queen Tamar'

February 4, 2013

Pravoslavie

Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia announced during his sermon on Sunday that the Georgian Orthodox Church has declared 2013 the year of Queen Tamar, reports Trend.az.

The Patriarch said that 2013 is, as most historians believe, the 800th anniversary of the Georgian queen's repose. Although other theories exist regarding the exact year, the Georgian Church has decided to set the celebration for this year.

Queen Tamar is one of the most revered saints of Georgia. Her reign was the most successful period in that country's history. Unfortunately her grave has not yet been discovered.

Elder Gabriel Urgebadze Has Been Canonized

Archimandrite Gabriel (Urgebadze) (26 August, 1929 Tbilisi – 2 November 1995, Mtskheta, Georgia) was canonized on December 20, 2012 by the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church. His feastday will be celebrated on November 2nd, the day of his repose.

Elder Gabriel opposed the communist regime in Soviet Georgia (former republic of the USSR) and was persecuted by the government for many years. He built a four-cupola church in his yard single-handedly. Monk Gabriel was arrested by Soviet police after he burnt down a huge portrait of Lenin during the parade in Tbilisi, 1965. Tortured by KGB for several months monk Gabriel was eventually released from prison.

He was a well-known spiritual guide and wonderworker in Georgia, with many spiritual gifts. During his last years he lived in Samtavro Convent (city of Mtskheta) in the King Mirian’ Tower (built in the fourth century). He was visited by hundreds of pilgrims per day from around the world (mainly from Georgia), and was reputed to have the ability to answer his guests' questions before they could ask. Archimandrite Gabriel was extraordinarily harsh to himself, but was too kind and gentle toward others. He is buried in the yard of Samtavro Transfiguration Orthodox Church.

According to thousands of witnesses the oil from the vigil lamp which constantly burns at the grave of Saint Gabriel has a healing powers (the church often receives letters/reports from the people being healed from disease like cancer, hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, etc.). The blood of Saint Gabriel is still incorrupt (photo above).

A website dedicate to Elder Gabriel can be viewed here, and below is footage from the canonization.

Georgians Revive Tradition of Sacred Chanting

December 4, 2012

DW.DE

Since the fourth century AD, Georgians have proudly nurtured their brand of Orthodox Christianity. But it hasn’t always been easy. Now young Georgians want to reconnect with their rich religious past.

The Gremi monastery in Eastern Georgia can be seen from miles around. The 16th century stone monument sits high on a hill overlooking the green valley of Kakheti. Inside the monastery, young monks and seminary students perform midday services.

During Soviet times, the Georgian Orthodox religion was discouraged. Many of the seminaries closed. But when Georgia became independent in 1991, seminaries like Gremi started opening again.

19-year-old student Gigla Benashvili says people in his generation now want to know more about their religious roots.

"I have a lot of friends and they are curious to know what I am doing here, what I am studying here," Benashvili told DW.

Benashvili spends a lot of his day learning sacred chant. The three-part chant sounds different, more dissonant, than European arrangements. Benashvili says he didn't like it at first.

"When I was about 12 or 13 years old I didn't like Georgian folk music or chant. And my mother wanted me to study chant and also folk music and I refused. I didn't want it. I didn't like it," he said.

Now Benashvili loves singing these chants that go back to the tenth century. He says it makes him feel more connected to Georgian history and to his faith.

In the old days, master chanters would travel from choir to choir teaching the arrangements. When the last master chanter died in 1967, a lot of that knowledge died with him. John Graham is a doctoral student from Princeton studying chant in Georgia. He says because chant was an oral tradition, the process of resurrecting it has taken a lot of detective work.

"The real advance came when the Soviet Union collapsed and the Anchiskati church choir, which was made up of a bunch of young men in their early twenties who were conservatory graduates by and large, they gained access to the archives and found all of these thousands of transcriptions of old chant and started singing them," Graham explains.

Then choir members transcribed the chants into books and started a chant school in Tbilisi. They want to train a new generation of singers who can teach this music throughout Georgia and share it with the world. John Graham says despite Georgian chant's rich history, it's still not really on the radar of many music scholars.

"It's not that the international community under-estimates it, it's just complete ignorance. There have not been any foreign language books whatsoever written about Georgian chant. It's one of the great sacred music traditions of the world and it really hasn't received its due attention yet."