Saint Gabriel of Samtavro
Saint Gabriel of Samtavro (Urgebadze) is one of the most famous, revered, and beloved elders not only in Georgia but throughout the Orthodox world.
Gabriel of Samtavro (Georgian: არქიმანდრიტი გაბრიელი, birth name Goderdzi Vasilievich Urgebadze, Georgian: გოდერძი ვასილის ძე ურგებაძე; August 26, 1929, Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, USSR — November 2, 1995, Mtskheta, Georgia) was an Orthodox saint and an archimandrite of the Georgian Orthodox Church.
He was canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church on December 20, 2012, as a saint. On December 25, 2014, he was included in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church. His feast day is November 2. He is venerated by all Orthodox Churches.
Pilgrims from all over the world come to the Monastery of St. Nino in Samtavro, in the city of Mtskheta, to pray at the relics of Saint Gabriel. To this day, many miraculous healings occur through Saint Gabriel's intercession. Books about his teachings, life, and miraculous healings have been published in multiple languages worldwide.
Monastery of St. Nino - Samtavro
The first church on this site was built in the 4th century by King Mirian III.
The temple was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. In the first half of the 11th century, during the reign of King George I, under the order of Catholicos-Patriarch Melchizedek I, the temple was expanded, southern gates were added, and it was adorned with unique ornaments unlike anything else in Georgian architecture.
The church houses many relics: part of the life-giving pillar, the miraculous icon of the Iveron Mother of God, the miraculous icon of St. Nino donated by King George XII to his grandchildren in 1870, the tombs of the holy kings Mirian and Nana, the relics of Saint Abibos of Nekresi (under the altar), the relics of Saints Shio of Mgvime and Gabriel of Samtavro (Urgebadze), a piece of the stone from the tomb of St. Nino in Bodbe, and other relics.
- Founded: 4th - 11th centuries
Svetitskhoveli - The Cathedral of the Life-Giving Pillar
Svetitskhoveli, the Cathedral of the Life-Giving Pillar, is the principal patriarchal cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church dedicated to the Twelve Apostles, located in the city of Mtskheta. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. Among the surviving historical structures in Georgia, Svetitskhoveli is the largest. For centuries, it has served as the center of Christian Georgia.
In the 4th century, King Mirian III, who had embraced Christianity, built the first church on the site of the modern cathedral, advised by Saint Nino Equal-to-the-Apostles. One of its foundations was a sacred cedar trunk situated where Christ’s robe (“seamless tunic”) was buried, giving the cathedral its name. In the 11th century, Georgian Catholicos Melkisedek I erected the cathedral on the site of the damaged basilica.
The current cross-domed, four-pillar, three-nave church dedicated to the Twelve Apostles was constructed between 1010 and 1029 under the supervision of architect Arsukidze, whose name is mentioned in an inscription on the facade.
- Date of foundation: 4-11th century.
Church of St. Gabriel Urgebadze
The Cross Monastery (Jvari) is a Georgian monastery and 6th-century church. It is located on a mountain peak at the confluence of the Kura and Aragvi rivers near Mtskheta—where, according to historical sources (“The Conversion of Georgia,” “The Life of the Kings of Kartli”), Saint Nino Equal-to-the-Apostles erected a cross. It was the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Georgia (since 1994).
Perched atop a rocky massif, the church serves as its natural culmination and the centerpiece of the surrounding landscape. Its harmony with the environment is emphasized by the proportional relationship of the monastery to the mountain’s size, precisely 1 to 7.
The architectural form of the church is the result of extensive efforts by Georgian architects, who moved away from the basilica design in search of an optimal central cross-shaped structure with a unified interior space.
- Date of foundation: 6th century.
