St. Cyrion the New Martyr of Mtskheta

Joyous feast! Today we commemorate Catholicos-Patriarch St. Cyrion (or Kirion) II of Mtskheta and All Georgia. St. Cyrion was the first catholicos-patriarch to be enthroned following the restoration of the Georgian Orthodox Church's autocephaly in 1917. Born in Russian-occupied Georgia, St. Cyrion undertook theological studies there and in Ukraine and gradually rose until he was consecrated to the episcopacy.

Due to the Saint's strong support for the restoration of the Georgian Orthodox Church's independence the imperial government had him transferred to new eparchies frequently, with the result that he shepherded flocks in what today are Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, Abkhazia, and Belarus between his consecration in 1901 and the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917.

Following the February Revolution the hierarchy of the Orthodox Church in Georgia moved quickly to proclaim the restoration of the Georgian Orthodox Church's autocephaly and by popular demand St. Cyrion, then Archbishop of Polotsk, returned to Georgia to be elected and enthroned as catholicos-patriarch in Mtskheta. In 1918 Georgia declared its independence in the midst of the great political upheavals and conflicts engulfing the former Russian Empire.

In the same year that Georgia regained its independence St. Cyrion was found murdered in his residence near Mtskheta, having served as patriarch for less than a year. Due to Georgia's annexation by the Soviet Union it wasn't until 2002 that the Georgian Orthodox Church glorified the passion-bearing patriarch as a saint. More on St. Cyrion's life can be found here. May his blessing and prayers be with us all!

Holy New Martyrs of Ajaria

Joyous feast! In Georgia the Sunday of Pentecost is also the commemoration of the Holy New Martyrs of Ajaria who suffered under the Turkish Yoke in the 18th century.

When Ajaria, a region in what today is southwestern Georgia, was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire its Turkish rulers strongly encouraged its Georgian inhabitants to convert to Islam in the hope of detaching the area from its long association with the rest of Orthodox Georgia. As part of this push to convert Ajaria to Islam in 1790 the area's rulers organized a massacre of those who were steadfast in their Orthodox Faith and were encouraging others to likewise resist Islam, with the faithful being tortured and guillotined and their bodies dumped in Ajaria's rivers.

More (in Russian) on the sufferings of the Ajarian New Martyrs can be found here. May their blessings and prayers be with us all!

St. Tamara the Great

Christ is risen! Joyous feast! Today is the feast of St. Tamara the Great, Queen of Georgia. Her reign is remembered as Georgia's golden age and she herself is remembered for her deep piety and her refusal to accept Islam despite the pressures of neighboring Muslim rulers to do so. At the end of her life St. Tamara retired to the Bardzia Caves Monastery. More on her life can be found here. May her blessing and prayers be with us all!

Session of the Georgian Orthodox Holy Synod

In addition to its decision regarding the Eparchy of Sukhumi, at its recent session of the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church also resolved to provide financial assistance to priests serving rural areas and to discipline parishes not using traditional Georgian Orthodox music in the divine services. The former Metropolitan of Sukhumi, Daniel (Datuashvili), was also elected Metropolitan of Chiatura and Sachkhere, and Bishop Jacob (Iakobashvili) of Tsurtavi was elected Bishop of Gardabani and Martkopi. More here.

Upcoming Patriarchal Baptisms in Tbilisi

As part of his ongoing initiative to encourage Georgians to have more children Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia of the Georgian Orthodox Church will be holding his fourteenth mass baptism of three hundred forty of these children in Tbilisi's Holy Trinity Cathedral on the feast of the Archangels (8/21 November). Since the beginning of the initiative Patriarch Ilia has baptized and chrismated some seven thousand children.

New Stylite in Georgia

The BBC just did a piece on Georgia's modern day stylite.

1,000th Anniversary of the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta, Georgia

Joyous feast! Today is the double feast of the Protection of the Mother of God and the Miracle of the Lord's Robe in Mtskheta in Georgia. It is also the thousandth-year anniversary of the reconstruction of the patriarchal cathedral in Mtskheta, which is dedicated to the Miracle of the Robe. The press release from the Georgian Orthodox Church about the anniversary celebrations can be found here.