Saints Prochorus the Georgian (XI); Luke of Jerusalem (Son of Mukhai) (+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 was soon ordained hieromonk. From 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 a house which they call the Monastery of the Cross”.
According to tradition, on this spot Lot, the nephew of Abraham, planted three trees: a cypress, a pine and a fir. Afterwards these saplings miraculously grew together, and one great tree sprang up. When the Temple was being built, by Solomon’s order this tree was cut down, but it was not used for the building. According to holy tradition, it was from this tree that the Cross was made on which our Saviour Jesus Christ was crucified. In the fourth century this land was granted to King Mirian (commemorated 1 October). In the fifth century Vakhtang Gorgasali (commemorated 30 November) built the Monastery of the Cross here, which was destroyed more than once in the seventh to eleventh centuries.
To restore the monastery, Bagrat the Curopalates, king of Georgia, gave Abba Prochorus great sums.
The Venerable Prochorus adorned the monastery in every way. He gathered around him eighty monks, to whom he gave a rule and canons like those of the lavra of Saint Sabbas.
After Saint Prochorus’s long labours his body grew weak from toil and age; he appointed one of his disciples, named George, as superior of the monastery, while he himself, accompanied by two disciples, went out into the desert, and a short time later, around 1066, committed his soul to the Lord.
Saint Luke of Jerusalem came of an honourable and noble Georgian family. After her husband’s death his mother left her children, was tonsured a nun and settled in Jerusalem to labour. When Saint Luke turned twenty, he set out for Jerusalem; he too was tonsured a monk and was soon ordained deacon. The venerable father quickly learned Arabic. When the brethren saw his “twofold wisdom” and his holiness, they chose him as superior of the Monastery of the Cross. The blessed Luke governed the monastery well for three years.
The devil, who desires the ruin 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 Sultan Fendukht. Having seized the monastery, the wicked Persian “fell upon our brethren the Georgians like a wild 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 you, so flee and hide.” Luke paid no attention to this warning; on the contrary, he preferred death for Christ to life in this world, went to Sheikh Khidr and told him “to release the fathers and to ask of him whatever he wished”. The Persian, full of malice, demanded that he give up Christianity and accept Islam, and promised the blessed one in return an emirate and “the lordship of the temple”. Saint Luke firmly confessed Christianity before the sheikh. Offended by the refusal and full of wrath, the sheikh ordered the faithful servant of Christ to be beheaded.
After the sentence had been carried out, 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.
The holy Martyr Nicholas Dvali was the son of Orthodox parents. His God-fearing mother and father offered 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. Then the saint went to Jerusalem and settled there in the Georgian Monastery of the Cross. Burning with the desire to die a martyr’s death for Christ, Saint Nicholas boldly preached the faith among the Muslims and fearlessly exposed their errors.
The lawless seized Saint Nicholas and, after many kinds of torture, locked him in prison. The Christians managed to get the confessor out of prison. At the superior’s command Saint Nicholas went to Cyprus, to the monastery of the Georgians. He besought the Lord for a martyr’s end, and received a revelation from Saint John the Baptist: he was to go to Damascus.
When he came to Damascus, the saint again boldly confessed Christ before the lawless and exposed their folly. The enraged godless men seized the holy confessor, beat him cruelly and threw him into a dungeon. The Christians barely managed to get him out of captivity. The newly released Saint Nicholas went again to the gathering of the lawless and again denounced their folly, for which he was cruelly tortured, given five hundred lashes and thrown into prison. The holy martyr was healed by a miraculous appearance of the Baptist, and two months later he was released 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 emir of emirs, Dengiz. Dengiz offered the saint conversion to Islam. Saint Nicholas boldly confessed Christ.
The emir of emirs 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 and cried out: “Glory to Thee, O Christ God!” The Persians who saw this miracle burned the holy 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 to him whether Nicholas had been numbered among the holy martyrs. One day, while 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 out and see this old man, 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 suffered on 19 October 1314, a Tuesday.
