Our Venerable Father Arsen of Ikalto (+1127)

The venerable Arsen of Ikalto was born around the middle of the eleventh century. His father, the Kakhetian prince Ibad Vachnadze, was a well-known man in his day. He gave his son a scholarly and theological education.

An incomparable master of the spiritual and secular sciences, “wise and learned”, Arsen of Ikalto was one of the trusted counsellors of the holy King David the Builder and his “teacher of the sciences”. Saint Arsen founded the famous Academy of Ikalto, which played a very great part in the revival of philosophical and theological learning in Georgia.

No full biographical information about the holy father has survived; we know only that he was a younger contemporary of the venerable Ephrem Mtsire. He received a thorough and deep education at the Academy of Mangana founded by Constantine Monomachos, where he translated one of his important works, the “Chronograph” of George Hamartolos; here too, in the monastery of Mangana, Arsen translated a collection of dogmatic and polemical character, which in Georgian literature is called the “Dogmatikon”. Afterwards it was gradually filled out with works translated by various people.

When he had finished his studies Arsen went to the Black Mountain and began to labour under the guidance of the venerable Ephrem Mtsire (commemorated 18 January). After Ephrem’s repose Arsen left the Black Mountain, went back again to the monastery of Mangana and continued his work of translation.

In 1114, at the invitation of King David the Builder, Saint Arsen came to Georgia and began to labour at the Academy of Gelati. While there he translated the “Great Nomocanon”. In one of the manuscripts of the Gelati monastery we read: “The guide of Christians, this Great Nomocanon, translated by Arsen of Ikalto, of eternal memory, who took upon himself great toils for us Georgians.” Afterwards Arsen moved to Kakheti and founded a higher school, an academy, at the monastery of Ikalto.

Saint Arsen attended the council convened on the initiative of David the Builder. David’s historian writes that the king summoned “Arsen of Ikalto, translator and scholar of the Greek and Georgian tongues and enlightener of all the churches”.

“Theologian, philosopher, natural scientist, anatomist, praised in allegorical compositions, a wonderful and lofty versifier and expounder of the church typika” — Saint Arsen of Ikalto has been numbered among the saints by the Apostolic Church of Georgia. He is buried at Ikalto, beside the founder of the monastery, Saint Zenon.