Our Venerable Fathers Evagrius, Elijah the Deacon and Those with Them

The venerable Evagrius and Elijah the Deacon were fellow ascetics of Saint Shio of Mghvime and John of Zedazeni. They directly continued and established the God-wise monastic rules and order of their holy teaching.

With the prayerful blessing of the Most Holy Theotokos, the thirteen Syrian fathers came from Antioch to Georgia in the sixth century. Their spiritual father John (commemorated 6 May) sent them out to their labours in different parts of Georgia. The founding of many monasteries and the revival and strengthening of monasticism in Georgia are bound up with their names.

John himself remained on the mountain of Zedazeni and laboured there until the end of his life together with Elijah the Deacon.

One of Saint John’s fellow ascetics, the son of a devout nobleman of Antioch, the venerable Shio of Mghvime, shut himself away in the mountains of Sarkineti. By God’s providence a dove brought food to the monk who laboured in the remote mountains.

Once Evagrius, the ruler of Tsikhedidi (commemorated 4 February), who was hunting in those parts, saw the venerable Shio of Mghvime and, amazed at the holy monk’s miracles, decided to stay with him and share his labours.

So the foundation was laid of the first monasteries in Georgia, known by the names of Zedazeni and Shiomghvime. God alone knows the number and the labours of the holy fathers who struggled in the monasteries founded in Georgia by the Syrian fathers. The Apostolic Church of Georgia, in the person of the venerable Evagrius and the holy Elijah the Deacon, asks the intercession of every venerable and God-bearing father, fellow ascetic of the Syrian fathers and continuer of their holy work, by whose labours monasteries were founded in Georgia and the monastic life was established.