Venerable John of Zedazeni and His Twelve Disciples: Abibus of Nekresi, Anthony of Martqopi, David of Gareji, Zenon of Iqalto, Thaddeus of Stepantsminda, Ise of Tsilkani, Joseph of Alaverdi, Isidore of Samtavisi, Michael of Ulumbo, Pyrrhus of Breti, Stephen of Khirsa and Shio of Mghvime (VI)
The Venerable John of Zedazeni and his twelve disciples, Abibus of Nekresi, Anthony of Martqopi, David of Gareji, Zenon of Iqalto, Thaddeus of Stepantsminda, Ise of Tsilkani, Joseph of Alaverdi, Isidore of Samtavisi, Michael of Ulumbo, Pyrrhus of Breti, Stephen of Khirsa and Shio of Mghvime, were Assyrian ascetics who revived and established the monastic life in Georgia.
The Venerable John of Zedazeni received his spiritual education in Antioch. While still quite young he left the deceitful passing world, was tonsured a monk and went into the desert to labour. His humility, fasting and vigil, his tears and supplication were pleasing to the Lord, and He granted His faithful servant the gift of healing illnesses and casting out demons. The Venerable John became renowned for his holy life and his miracles. A great many people came to see him, and so the holy father thought it necessary to leave that place; he took some of his disciples, chose a remote spot, built cells and began to labour there.
Once the All-holy Mother of God appeared to the Venerable John and commanded him to choose twelve monks from among his disciples and go with them to Georgia to strengthen the law of Christ. Saint John told his disciples of the command of the Mother of God. After long fasting and prayer, at God’s direction, he chose twelve of his disciples: Shio, David, Anthony, Ise, Joseph, Thaddeus, Stephen, Isidore, Michael, Pyrrhus, Zenon and Abibus. To those who remained in the desert he left the monk Euthymius as teacher in his place, while he himself set out for Georgia with the brethren.
The king and the catholicos of Georgia were told by an angel of the coming to Georgia of the holy fathers who had shone forth in Mesopotamia. As the fathers drew near to Mtskheta, King Pharsman and Catholicos Eulavios came out to meet them with their company.
With the blessing of Catholicos Eulavios, Saint John settled with his disciples on the mountain of Zedazeni, where the idol of Zaden had once stood. The ascetics lived in wretched cells and ate only plants.
The people heard of Saint John’s miracles. Many were stirred with a sincere desire for the monastic life; many left the vain and troubled life of the world and settled at Zedazeni to labour. So the mountain of Zedazeni became a dwelling place of hermits.
One night the All-holy Mother of God appeared to Saint John and commanded him to send his disciples out to preach in various parts. The next day he gathered them, told them what he had seen, and said to them: “For the profit of this land hath the Lord our God Jesus Christ sent us forth, for the people of this country are a new planting; therefore it is meet that ye go forth each one of you and strengthen the brethren who have confessed Christ our Lord.”
After sending out his disciples Saint John remained at Zedazeni; he kept with him Elijah the deacon (commemorated 4 January) and took up his accustomed labours. Teacher and disciple endured many hardships and trials. Zedazeni was a waterless place. Every day Elijah the deacon carried water from a great distance. Seeing his disciple’s heavy toil, Saint John asked the Lord to bring forth a spring. The good Lord heard the holy monk’s prayer, and a healing spring rose up on the summit of the mountain.
A bear took to coming to the spring that had risen at Saint John’s prayer. By Saint John’s prayer the beast was tamed. After this the wild beasts of the forest of Zedazeni harmed no one. Through the prayer of the Venerable John a man long paralysed and a man struck dumb were healed. Saint John would summon his disciples to him, and sometimes visited them himself, and tested what measure of spirituality they had reached.
After long labours the approach of his end was revealed to Saint John by the Lord. The venerable father called his disciples, instructed them, blessed them, and in his testament asked them to bury him in the cave where he had laboured.
The disciples, grieved at their teacher’s departure, carried him to the monastery at the foot of Zedazeni. Suddenly the earth shook, and did not grow still until they remembered the holy father’s testament and understood that this earthquake was a heavenly sign. Saint John’s disciples, accompanied by priests and deacons, went to their teacher’s grave, brought up the holy relics with honour and buried them as he had asked. When the holy relics were brought up, many sick and possessed people were healed.
In the tenth century, in the time of Catholicos Clement (908–923), a church in the name of Saint John the Baptist was built to the south of the cave. The tomb of Saint John of Zedazeni is by the prothesis of the church.
The holy Hieromartyr Abibus was appointed bishop of Nekresi at the request of King Pharsman VI and Catholicos Eulavios. At that time in eastern Georgia the Persian magi were freely spreading their false teaching and by force turning many from the truth. Once, to expose the deceit of the fire-worshippers, the holy hierarch Abibus poured water on the fire burning on their altar and put it out. The enraged Persians seized Saint Abibus, beat him cruelly and then stoned him. By order of the marzpan the saint’s body was thrown out under the open sky for the beasts to tear, but neither beast nor bird touched the holy martyr’s body.
By night the Christians living at Rekhi came and buried the holy hierarch’s body with great honour in the monastery of Samtavisi. Later Stephanoz, the ruler of Kartli, translated the incorrupt relics of Saint Abibus from Samtavisi to the Samtavro monastery at Mtskheta and buried them beneath the holy altar.
Saint Anthony of Martqopi always carried with him the Saviour’s Image Not Made by Hands, which he had brought from Edessa. The holy father, a lover of solitude, drew many Christians by his grace-filled prayer and his miracles. Saint Anthony built a monastery for his fellow ascetics, while he himself went first to the far side of the Alazani, and then took refuge on the mountain of Akriani. To the solitary monk, who lived on herbs and the bark of trees, the Lord sent deer to give him food. Saint Anthony built a pillar on the summit of the mountain, shut himself up in it and laboured there for eighteen years. The day of his departure from the body was revealed to the venerable father by the Lord beforehand. At the time of his death Father Anthony was kneeling in prayer before the icon of the Saviour. His disciples brought the Venerable Anthony’s body down from the pillar and buried it in the monastery he had founded, before the icon of the Mother of God.
Saint David of Gareji settled to labour in Tbilisi, the new capital of Georgia. The monk, who had withdrawn to a mountain rising at the edge of the city, drew many people by his wonderful preaching and holy life, and converted many fire-worshippers. The enraged magi bribed a pregnant harlot and accused Father David of fornication with her. The saint touched the woman’s belly with his staff and said: “Thee, O infant, I command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to tell us whether I am thy father or not.” The infant answered the saint from its mother’s womb and pointed to another man. The enraged people stoned the woman. David, dismayed that he had not been able to stop the raging crowd, spread his cloak on the river Mtkvari, stood on it with his disciple Saint Lucian, and, despite the fervent entreaties of the people of Tbilisi, left the city.
Father David and Lucian settled in the desert of Gareji. The Lord provided food for the ascetics miraculously. Every day except Wednesday and Friday deer came to them; Lucian milked them, and Father David made the sign of the cross over the milk and it turned into cheese. The whole land heard of the miracles of the fathers of Gareji, and soon “multitudes of men settled there, who found the desert life sweet”.
From Ninotsminda there came to the Venerable David the monk Dodo, adorned with virtues (commemorated on the Wednesday after the Ascension), who at his teacher’s command built on a spur of rock a monastery in the name of the All-holy Mother of God.
Some time later the Venerable David went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Because of his unworthiness the monk would not enter the holy city; he prayed long and fervently at the gate, then took three stones from that place and brought them back to Georgia as holy things. That night an angel of the Lord appeared to Elias, Patriarch of Jerusalem, and told him that Father David, who had come from Georgia, was carrying away by his faith the whole grace of Jerusalem. Men sent by the patriarch took two of the stones from Father David, while the holy monk brought the third to Georgia.
After a long life pleasing to God, Father David reposed and was buried there, in the house of Gareji.
Saint Ise of Tsilkani was consecrated bishop of Tsilkani by Catholicos Eulavios on the advice of Father John. The venerable father “converted a great many unbelievers by his teaching, and spread instruction and preaching among his flock”. Once the Venerable John resolved to test his disciples in virtue and spirituality. Saint Ise went down to the bank of the river Ksani, made the sign of the cross over the river, then touched it with his staff and said: “In the name of the Lord I command thee: go after me and follow me as far as I go.” A stream of water separated from the river and followed the Venerable Ise’s staff. The venerable father brought the water as far as the cathedral of Tsilkani. This miracle converted many people to the law of Christ.
Saint Ise learned beforehand from the Lord the day of his departure from the body; he received the Holy Mysteries and committed his soul to the Lord in prayer. The holy father was buried there, in the church of the Mother of God at Tsilkani.
Saint Joseph of Alaverdi always carried a cross made from the wood of the Saviour’s Life-giving Cross. With the blessing of Saint John of Zedazeni he preached in various parts of Kakheti, and at last chose the desert of Alaverdi and began his labours there. Once the monk, living quite alone, met a nobleman out hunting and preached the word of God to him. Gladdened by Father Joseph’s grace-filled teaching, the nobleman laid the foundation of the monastery of Alaverdi. The people heard of the ascetic monk and began to come to see the wonderful father and hear his teaching. Many stayed there. In time the number of hermits grew and formed a large community.
Abba Joseph, weakened by long labours and toil, appointed a superior for his disciples and reposed in God. He was buried in the church of Alaverdi, which he had built. Many miracles take place at Abba Joseph’s tomb.
Saint Shio of Mghvime laboured in a cave among the rocks of Sarkineti. The All-holy Mother of God herself blessed the monk labouring in the wilderness. This was seen by Evagrius, ruler of Tsikhedidi (commemorated 4 February), who was hunting on the mountain of Sarkineti; he visited the wonderful monk and became his disciple. Soon the place was filled with hermit fathers. Saint Shio founded a house at Sarkineti and gathered two thousand monks. Saint Shio made a vow to spend the rest of his life in a cave. He dug a cave in his own monastery and went down into it. The Venerable Shio laboured in the cave for fifteen years.
Saint Isidore of Samtavisi, with his teacher’s blessing, preached for a long time in Kartli. Then, to the east of Rekhula, he founded the monastery of Samtavisi in the name of the Saviour’s Image Not Made by Hands; his disciples buried the venerable father in the monastery he had founded.
Saint Thaddeus of Stepantsminda laboured at first in Mtskheta. He built a monastery at the foot of Zedazeni. The saint preached in Kartli, where he built many churches, among them the church of the holy Protomartyr Stephen at Urbnisi. Afterwards he shut himself up in a cave on the mountain of Tsleva (near Kaspi). He reposed and is buried there.
Saint Stephen of Khirsa preached in Kakheti together with his fellow ascetics. He is buried in the church of the holy Protomartyr Stephen, by the prothesis.
Saint Zenon of Iqalto preached in the highlands of Kakheti, then founded a monastery at Iqalto and laboured there until his death. He is buried in the church of the Saviour’s Image Not Made by Hands.
Saint Pyrrhus of Breti, “a divine image of repentance”, founded a house at Breti, on the left bank of the river Jvaristsqali. His holy relics are buried in this monastery.
Saint Michael of Ulumbo preached in Upper Kartli and Ossetia. He founded a great house near Ulumbo. His wonderworking holy relics rest there.
In the lavras and houses founded by the holy Assyrian fathers the children of the Georgians were trained in mind and morals; from these deserts grace and blessing were poured out on the Georgian people. These houses and the holy fathers who founded them became the protectors of the Georgians and their defenders against lawlessness and vice.
