Holy Martyrs Bidzina Choloqashvili and the Eristavis of Ksani, Elizbar and Shalva (+1661)

Saint Bidzina Choloqashvili and Elizbar and Shalva, eristavis of Ksani, ended their lives as martyrs in the seventeenth century. Shah Abbas I and his son, Shah Abbas II, laid Kakheti waste with particular cruelty. Father and son, like ravens, cawed ominously over Iberia and wrapped churches, monasteries and fortresses in flames; they drove thousands of Georgians from their native land, herded them off to Persia and settled Persians in their place.

The people fled from the tormentors and took refuge where they could. “The Life of Kartli” tells us that “the name of Christ was no longer called upon anywhere, save only among a few in the mountains, among the Tush, the Pshavs and the Khevsurs”. God’s providence is beyond the reach of men: in just such a time of distress, when it seemed that sin and grace could no longer be told apart, when Georgia, turned into a threshing floor of fire, stood on the edge of being and not being, the Lord chose out His faithful host. In this century there joined the heavenly Georgia: the holy Great Martyr Queen Ketevan, the holy Martyr King Luarsab, the six thousand holy monks of Gareji, the holy Hieromartyr Catholicos Evdemoz, and the holy Hieromartyr Theodore of Kvelta. In this century the nine Kherkheulidze brothers, and with them nine thousand horsemen, gave their lives on the field of Marabda for the glory of God and the nation; and in this same century the all-good Lord sent to the country, as its deliverance and hope, the heroes of Kakheti: Bidzina Choloqashvili and Shalva and Elizbar, eristavis of Ksani.

The Lord, who upholds the poor and strengthens the helpless, inspired Bidzina Choloqashvili, a prince of Kakheti, with a good resolve: together with the eristavis of Aragvi and Ksani he undertook to free Kakheti from the Tatars. After long thought and deliberation Bidzina went to his friend Zaal, eristavi of Aragvi, and told him what was in his heart. The eristavi Zaal’s own heart was seething at so much misfortune and injustice; he approved the plan and also invited Elizbar, eristavi of Ksani, together with Shalva. Saint Bidzina told the eristavis of the calamity that had fallen upon Kakheti, explained to them that Kartli too might fall into the same trial very soon, and called on them to fight the invaders together: “Now then let us rise up against them, though it be beyond our power, yet by the power and help of the life-giving Cross and by the aid of the valiant horseman Saint George, for they have seized and defiled his glorious church (Alaverdi) and have smashed his precious icon.”

Bidzina saw clearly what the Georgians were capable of, but, trusting in God’s will and convinced that the homeland had to be delivered, he believed in victory.

The eristavi of Aragvi “secretly gave him only a few men, chosen horsemen, to help”, while the eristavis of Ksani — uncle and nephew — called a general levy and gathered the Tush, the highlanders and a few Kakhetians… On a moonless night they crossed the mountain, passed Akhmeta and suddenly fell upon the Tatars carelessly encamped at Bakhtrioni. On the same day, the feast of Alaverdoba in 1659, they fell upon the Qizilbash at Alaverdi and destroyed them so completely that Selim Khan, the sultan of Ardalan, barely managed to flee, abandoning his wife and children, and hurried off to Persia.

The victorious Georgian host thanked God and Saint George, the protector of the nation, “for the Great Martyr George was plainly seen upon a white horse, running to and fro like lightning, going before them”.

Kakheti breathed freely and, overjoyed, could not do enough for its faithful sons… But the bliss of the heroes who had saved the homeland did not last long. The enraged Shah Abbas ordered the king of Kartli, Vakhtang, called by the Persians Shah Navaz, to send him Christ’s valiant horsemen.

The heroes who had saved Kakheti set out on their last road without complaint. They knew that they would have no mercy from Shah Abbas, but they knew too that delay would bring harm on the country.

The cunning shah received the Georgian nobles with honour, but afterwards demanded that they change their faith in return for riches and honour. The Georgians sent word to the ruler of Persia by the mouth of the sultan of Ardalan: “We have not set our hearts on your gifts and honours, nor do we seek your favours, for we are servants of the King of heaven and enrolled as soldiers of Christ… We are ready to endure all things, that we may reign with Him and rejoice with Him.” The sultan of Ardalan tried hard, but no promise could charm the faithful servants of Christ. Then by the shah’s order the saints were cruelly tortured. The martyrs encouraged one another, endured the torments and besought the Lord for strength.

The saints were stripped and thrown down on the road to be stung by insects. The enraged Selim Khan resolved, to frighten Bidzina, to behead Saints Elizbar and Shalva before his eyes. “Nothing is sweeter than death for Christ,” said Saint Bidzina.

The eristavis of Ksani calmly bowed their heads, but the executioners could not reach them with their swords to strike, for the blessed ones were far taller than the lawless. Then the torturers struck them in the shins with the sword, and when they fell, they cut off the heads of the blessed uncle and nephew.

The death of his comrades did not frighten Saint Bidzina in the least. The torturer resolved to break Bidzina’s courage by humiliation. They put a woman’s veil over the valiant hero, set him on an ass and led him through the streets, mocking and abusing the Georgian who was chosen among the chosen; but Saint Bidzina gave thanks to God.

After this the executioners resolved to hack the saint to pieces alive: with sharpened swords they first cut off his fingers one by one, then his toes; after the fingers they cut off his hands at the wrists and his feet at the ankles; then they cut off both arms at the elbow and both legs at the knee. They dragged the severed limbs along the ground and defiled them. At last only the head remained unharmed on the hacked body. From the movement of his lips it could be seen that his heart was still beating and the saint was praying. Then one of the executioners ran him through with a spear and stopped his heart — the heart that had endured so much pain. This took place in 1661.

The bodies of the holy martyrs lay all day under the open sky, and no one dared approach them. At night a light stood over them. Christians secretly buried the saints’ remains.

Many years later Shalva’s wife Ketevan and her son David sent trustworthy men to bring back the saints’ remains.

When the holy relics were brought back to Kartli, many of the faithful met them with veneration and kissed them. The heroes who had saved Kakheti were buried with honour and glory in the church of the Archangel at Ikorta.