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Holy Hieromartyr Dositeos of Tbilisi (†1795)

Memory 12 (25) September

Thirty-five thousand Persian soldiers marched toward Georgia in the year 1795. The Georgian king Erekle II (1762–1798) and his two thousand soldiers declared war on the invaders as they were approaching Tbilisi. The Georgians won the first skirmish, but many perished in the fighting. The enemy was shaken and was preparing to flee the battleground, when several traitors reported to Aqa Muhammed Khan that King Erekle had lost nearly his entire army. This betrayal decided the fate of the battle: the one hundred fifty soldiers who remained in the Georgian army barely succeeded in saving the life of King Erekle, who had willed to perish on the battlefield with his soldiers.

All of Tbilisi was engulfed in flames. The plunderers murdered the people, set fire to the libraries, destroyed the print shop, and vandalized the churches and the king’s palace. They slaughtered the clergy in an especially cruel manner.

Unfortunately, history has not preserved the names of all those martyrs who perished in this tragedy, but we do know that a certain Metropolitan Dositeos of Tbilisi was killed because he would not abandon his flock. While the invaders simply killed most of the clergymen, from St. Dositeos they demanded a renunciation of the Christian Faith. They commanded him to defile the True and Life-giving Cross of our Lord. But the holy hieromartyr Dositeos endured the greatest torments without yielding to the enemy, and he joyfully accepted death for Christ’s sake. The invaders slaughtered Christ’s devoted servant with their swords.

St. Dositeos was martyred on September 12 in the year 1795.

Thy soul radiantly rejoices with God, O Holy Hierarch Dositeos. Pray to Sweetest Jesus to have mercy on our souls!

Archpriest Zakaria Machitadze

For further information on the book THE LIVES OF THE GEORGIAN SAINTS by Archpriest Zakaria Machitadze contact St. Herman Press:
St. Herman Press, P.O. Box 70, Platina, CA 96076
http://www.stherman.com/catalog/chapter_five/Lives_of_the_georgian_saints.htm

9/25/2007

Venerable Svimeon the Wonderworker (†1773)

Venerable Svimeon the Wonderworker (†1773)
Commemorated September 1/14

Venerable Svimeon the Wonderworker (†1773)

Venerable Svimeon the Wonderworker (†1773)
Archpriest Zakaria Machitadze
Saint Svimeon was raised at Davit-Gareji Monastery. He labored as a simple monk until he reached an advanced age, and was chosen to be abbot. Outstanding in virtue and humility, St. Svimeon was endowed by the Lord with the ability to work miracles.

The Lives of the Georgian Saints

The Lives of the Georgian Saints
Archpriest Zakaria Machitadze

The Lives of the Georgian Saints

The Lives of the Georgian Saints
Archpriest Zakaria Machitadze
Since the time of the ancient Greek historians, Georgia has been viewed as an enigma hidden behind impenetrable mountains and a complex language. Little has been written about this small country and its saints. Now, Pravoslavie.Ru presents the entire collection of the Lives of the Georgian saints which has been translated for the first time into English. These lives encompass the seventeen hundred years of Orthodox Christianity in Georgia. The stories of ascetics and bishops, warriors and noblemen are intertwined with the tumultuous history of the Georgian land.

Venerable Abba Ioseb of Alaverdi (†570)

Venerable Abba Ioseb of Alaverdi (†570)
Commemorated 15/28 September

Venerable Abba Ioseb of Alaverdi (†570)

Venerable Abba Ioseb of Alaverdi (†570)
Archpriest Zakaria Machitadze
Blessed Abba Ioseb of Alaverdi was a disciple and companion of St. Ioane of Zedazeni, who in the 6th century arrived in Georgia with twelve Syrian ascetics to spread the Christian Faith.With the blessing of his teacher, Fr. Ioseb settled in the village of Alaverdi in eastern Georgia. According to tradition, he carried with him a cross formed from the wood of the Life-giving Cross of our Savior.

See also

The Life of Dositheus, the disciple of Abba Dorotheos

The Life of Dositheus, the disciple of Abba Dorotheos

The Life of Dositheus, the disciple of Abba Dorotheos

The Life of Dositheus, the disciple of Abba Dorotheos
Some of the Instructions on spiritual life of the holy Abba Dorotheos are to be found in the Philokalia (English translation in Early Fathers from the Philokalia, pp. 149 ff). A marvelous fruit of these Instructions may be seen in the life of the disciple of Abba Dorotheos, St. Dositheus. The account that follows, included as a part of the Russian edition of the writings of Abba Dorotheos, is by an anonymous writer apparently contemporary with the two saints, and is an inseparable part of the life of the great Abba himself.

The Holy Confessor Metropolitan Dositheus (Vasich) of Zagreb

The Holy Confessor Metropolitan Dositheus (Vasich) of Zagreb
Hierodeacon Ignatius (Shestakov)

The Holy Confessor Metropolitan Dositheus (Vasich) of Zagreb

The Holy Confessor Metropolitan Dositheus (Vasich) of Zagreb
Hierodeacon Ignatius (Shestakov)
The Holy Confessor Dositheus (Vasich), Metropolitan of Zagreb, was canonized by the Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church in May 2000, together with the other New Martyrs of Serbia. They all suffered in the middle of the twentieth century, either at the hands of the Croat Ustashi or else as a result of the Communist terror campaign.

Holy Martyrs of Kvabtakhevi Monastery (†1386)

Holy Martyrs of Kvabtakhevi Monastery (†1386)
Commemorated April 10/23

Holy Martyrs of Kvabtakhevi Monastery (†1386)

Holy Martyrs of Kvabtakhevi Monastery (†1386)
Archpriest Zakaria Machitadze
In the 14th century, during the reign of King Bagrat V (1360–1394), Timur (Tamerlane) invaded Georgia seven times. His troops inflicted irreparable damage on the country, seizing centuries-old treasures and razing ancient churches and monasteries.