St. Gabriel (Urgebadze) The name of St. Gabriel (Urgebadze) is known to every Orthodox believer in Georgia and beyond. This remarkable Elder was known for his profound faith, humility, and love for God and people even during his lifetime. His words, spoken to his spiritual children shortly before his blessed passing, bring great joy: “I am leaving, but I will always be invisibly by your side; I will never abandon you.” These are not just words of reassurance, but a living testament to his constant help. The Elder said that if anyone calls on him in prayer, he will always be near. Thousands of people who turn to him confirm this. Through the prayers of the holy Elder, the Lord reveals countless miracles. The sick are healed, lost souls return to faith, and hearts full of despair find hope. The miracles that occur through Gabriel’s prayers are not just external events. They testify to the most important thing—that love and hope can enter every person’s life. The hope that even in the most difficult circumstances, we are not alone, but the Lord is with us!
St. Gabriel has become a saint who, through his life, and his help from beyond the grave, shows us that saints are our heavenly friends. They not only pray for us but also truly participate in our lives, supporting and guiding us on the true path. It is a great comfort to know that we are not alone: on our earthly journey, we are accompanied by those who have already been deemed worthy of the Divine light.
Today, August 26, I would like to tell you about one of the miracles of St. Gabriel. By God’s will, I am a participant in this great miracle, if I can put it that way. I still remember that day. It all started with a call—the tearful voice of my friend Tornike’s sister, a member of the creative group for the films about St. Gabriel. She said that Tornike had fallen from a height of four meters and had been taken away by an ambulance. All I could hear in the receiver were tears and pleas: “Please, while I’m on my way, go to the hospital, find out what’s wrong with him, if he’s alive...” The Republic Hospital, where he was taken, was only three stops away from my house.
At that time, I was barely leaving the house due to serious health problems, but then I forgot about everything. I just ran out; I don’t even remember how I got to the hospital. Everything was a blur. I rushed inside and found the doctor. He started explaining something, but I was in such a state of shock that I couldn’t understand anything. The only thing that stuck in my memory was the phrase: “Multiple fractures, hemorrhages, a broken orbital base.”
I don’t know where I got the strength, but I raced home like a bullet. At home, I had oil from the holy relics of the Elder Gabriel. I knew it was the only thing that could help. After returning to the hospital, I gave the oil to my friend’s wife, and she anointed him with it. The most amazing thing about this story happened when I first entered the hospital, not knowing if my friend was alive. I opened the doors and immediately saw a small paper icon of our beloved holy Elder Gabriel. In the Republic Hospital! His eyes, full of love, were looking at me from the icon. It felt like he was smiling at me and saying, “Don’t worry, I am here! Everything will be alright.” A shiver of awe for the great Elder went through me
Tornike (right) and David The rest is testified by the main protagonist of this story, a member of our creative group, the cinematographer for the films about St. Gabriel, Tornike Chikadze:
“The morning of April 29 started as usual: I went to work early. To complete an urgent task, we needed equipment that was stored on a high platform in the office. When we were almost finished, I tried to get the last and most important device. At that moment, the tool slipped, and I fell by inertia from a height of about 3–4 meters, hitting my head. The impact was so strong that it took me probably two minutes to come to and get up. I didn’t lose consciousness completely. After getting up, I felt blood flowing from a cut above my eyebrow. Soon an ambulance arrived and took me to the hospital. There, the wound was treated and stitched, and they also did a CT scan. Although I felt very weak and was in pain, I thought it was nothing serious and wanted to go home. But then my attending doctor came in, and from the look on his face, I understood that something was wrong. I had multiple facial bone fractures and a broken orbital base. I remember the doctor, upon learning how high I had fallen, said with surprise, ‘It’s a real miracle that you’re alive.’
Later, my wife and sister came into the ward. They brought myrrh and oil from St. Gabriel and anointed the wound with them. It turned out that the impact had caused three fractures in my bones, and I had missed hitting my temple by just a millimeter. The hematoma continued to grow. Since a lot of blood had accumulated in the forehead area, the chances of it resolving without surgical intervention were very small. Immediately after they anointed me, I felt the power and grace of St. Gabriel and asked him with all my heart to help, so that everything would end well. After a while, due to the severe pain, I was given a painkiller, and I fell asleep.
And I dreamed of Father Gabriel. He didn’t just walk in, he burst into the ward in a white vestment over his mantle and exclaimed, “Where is my Tornike?!” Then he came up to me and said, “Oh, you prankster, I see you’re on another adventure! Don’t be afraid, my dear one, you’ll have a small vacation, and then you’ll be discharged. Everything will be fine. Just don’t forget to take Communion.”
In the evening, I was taken for another CT scan. Everyone was waiting for the result. Soon the doctor came in and asked to repeat the procedure. We were all surprised and asked what was wrong. The doctors explained that they needed to clarify something. After the second scan, the doctor said that the hematoma had not only stopped growing but had almost completely dissolved, leaving no trace! He added that without God’s help, this would have been impossible. My heart was filled with joy and gratitude. I understood who had interceded for me, a sinner. And indeed, just as Father Gabriel said, I had a small “vacation.” The next day, I was moved to a regular ward, and I only spent four days there.
Thank you, Lord, and Father Gabriel, for such a miracle. I was born a second time! Through the prayers of Father Gabriel, the Lord gave me life again!
Miraculously, after that terrible fall from a great height, when doctors were preparing for the worst and predicting a long recovery, the healing process went incredibly fast. The multiple fractures that could have confined me to bed for a long time healed in record time.
But what is even more amazing is that despite the serious facial injuries that could have disfigured me forever and required many plastic surgeries, this did not happen. The bones and tissues restored themselves, returning my former appearance.
I am immensely grateful to the Lord and to Elder Gabriel that today I am completely healthy and have returned to a normal life. Miracles do happen; the main thing is to believe with all your heart and have hope. The saints, as in my case, Elder Gabriel, will surely hear you. The will come and comfort you.”
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An Appeal to the Readers of OrthoChristian.com
Dear brothers and sisters!
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for being with us on this journey—the journey of creating a film about the great Elder of our time, St. Gabriel. Your support is invaluable.
We are close to completing the filming of the third part of the documentary about our beloved Elder. With God’s help and thanks to your support, we have completed a tremendous amount of work. But an equally important stage lies ahead—finishing the film.
We appeal to all of you to contribute what you can to the creation of the film. Every amount, even the most modest, can be decisive in this great cause and help us bring this project to life.
Sberbank Card: 2202 2063 5407 8201
Recipient: Ageeva Olga Alekseevna
Paypal: diademas@yahoo.com
When making a transfer, please indicate your names in holy baptism, as well as the names of your deceased relatives. All names will be commemorated during a moleben at the relics of St. Gabriel (Urgebadze) at Samtavro Monastery, as well as at the holy relics and miraculous icon of St. Gabriel and St. Seraphim of Sarov.
You can indicate the names either in the comments to the transfer or in an email to: diademas@yahoo.com
