Saints Prochorus the Georgian (XI); Luke of Jerusalem (Mukhaisdze) (+1273); Nicholas Dvali (+1314); and All the Georgian Martyrs and Venerable Fathers Who Lived in the Georgian Monastery in Jerusalem
Saint Prochorus was born around 985–990. The saint was brought up in a monastery from childhood. The young ascetic, outstanding in every way, was tonsured a monk with the name Prochorus, and soon ordained hieromonk. Around 1010–1015 the saint went to Jerusalem, to the Lavra of Sabbas. Then, by command of the son of Euthymius Grdzeli, he “began to build near Jerusalem the monastery which they call the Monastery of the Cross.”
According to tradition, Lot, the nephew of Abraham, planted three trees on this spot: a cypress, a pine and a fir. Later these saplings miraculously joined together and one great tree grew up. When the temple was being built, this tree was cut down by Solomon’s order, but was not used in the building. According to holy tradition, it was from this tree that the cross was made on which our Saviour Jesus Christ was crucified. This land was granted to King Mirian (commemorated 1 October) in the fourth century. In the fifth century Vakhtang Gorgasali (commemorated 30 November) built the Monastery of the Cross here, which was destroyed more than once between the seventh and eleventh centuries.
To restore the monastery, Bagrat Kuropalates, king of Georgia, gave Abba Prochorus a great sum of money.
The Venerable Prochorus adorned the monastery in every way. He gathered eighty monks around him, and laid down for them a rule and order like those of the Lavra of Saint Sabbas.
After long labours Saint Prochorus’s body grew weak from toil and old age; he appointed one of his disciples, named George, as steward of the monastery, and himself went out into the desert with two disciples, and a short time later, around 1066, commended his soul to the Lord.
Saint Luke of Jerusalem came from an honourable and distinguished Georgian family. After her husband’s death his mother left her children, took the veil, and settled in Jerusalem to labour. When Saint Luke turned twenty, he set out for Jerusalem, became a monk too, and was soon ordained deacon. The venerable father quickly learned Arabic. When the brethren saw his “twofold wisdom” and his holiness, they chose him superior of the Monastery of the Cross. The blessed Luke governed the monastery well for three years.
The devil, who desires the destruction of men, burned with envy against the God-pleasing father and stirred up against him a Persian full of malice, Sheikh Khidr, who had influence at the sultan’s court. He obtained the Monastery of the Cross from the Sultan Bundukdar. Having taken possession of the monastery, the wicked Persian “fell upon our brethren the Georgians like a beast and left them nothing.” The Venerable Luke, as superior, went to the sultan to intercede. The Christians warned the holy father: “Sheikh Khidr is threatening thee; flee and hide.” Luke paid no heed to this warning; on the contrary, he chose death for Christ over the life of this world, went to Sheikh Khidr and told him “to let the fathers go, and to ask of him whatever he would.” The wicked Persian demanded that he give up Christianity and accept Islam, promising the blessed one in return an emirate and “the headship of the temple”. Saint Luke firmly confessed Christianity before the sheikh. Offended by the refusal and filled with rage, the sheikh ordered the faithful servant of Christ to be beheaded.
After the execution Luke’s holy severed head turned towards the east, smiled, and gave thanks to the Lord. By order of Sheikh Khidr the saint’s precious body was burned in fire.
The holy Martyr Nicholas Dvali was the son of Orthodox parents. His God-fearing mother and father dedicated him to the Lord from his birth. At twelve the boy Nicholas went to the desert of Klarjeti, was tonsured there, and began his labours. Later the saint went to Jerusalem and settled there in the Georgian Monastery of the Cross. Burning with the desire to die a martyr for Christ, Saint Nicholas boldly preached the faith among the Muslims and at the same time fearlessly denounced their errors.
The unbelievers seized Saint Nicholas and, after many kinds of torture, locked him in prison. The Christians managed to rescue the confessor from prison. By the superior’s command Saint Nicholas went to Cyprus, to the Georgian monastery. He besought the Lord for a martyr’s end, and received a revelation from Saint John the Baptist: he was to go to Damascus.
Arriving in Damascus, the saint again boldly confessed Christ before the unbelievers and denounced their folly. The enraged godless seized the holy confessor, beat him cruelly and threw him into a dungeon. The Christians barely managed to rescue him from captivity. Newly freed, Saint Nicholas went again to the gathering of the unbelievers and again denounced their folly, for which he was cruelly tortured: he was given five hundred lashes of the whip and thrown into prison. The holy martyr was healed through a miraculous appearance of the Baptist, and two months later he was set free again.
The emir of the city happened to see Saint Nicholas as he was preparing to set out for Jerusalem; he seized him and sent him to the amir of amirs, Dengiz. Dengiz offered the saint to accept Islam. Saint Nicholas boldly confessed Christ.
The amir of amirs ordered him to be put to death. The blessed martyr turned to the east, joyfully bowed his neck to the sword, and said: “Glory to Thee, O Christ God, who hast made me worthy to die for Thee.” The sword cut off Saint Nicholas’s head. The severed head glorified God seven times, crying out: “Glory to Thee, O Christ God!” Seeing this miracle, the Persians burned the saint’s body. For three days a pillar of light stood over the place of his martyrdom.
When Saint Nicholas’s spiritual father learned of the martyr’s end of his spiritual son, he glorified God and besought Him to reveal whether Nicholas had been numbered among the holy martyrs. One day, as he was reading a book, he saw in a miraculous revelation a mountain full of light and fragrance, and a radiantly adorned company of holy martyrs, among whom the Great Martyr George shone above the rest. Saint George called Saint Nicholas: “Nicholas! Come forth and see this elder, thy teacher, for he hath shed many tears for thee.” Nicholas greeted his teacher: “Behold, thou hast seen me and my place; henceforth grieve no more for me,” he comforted him. Saint Nicholas Dvali was martyred on Tuesday, 19 October 1314.
