The Venerable Father David of Gareja
Saints David and Dodo of Gareja (iconographer Lasha Darbuashvili)
The venerable and wonder-working father David of Gareja came from Assyria in Mesopotamia. The exact date of his birth and the names of his parents are unknown. While still a youth he became the spiritual son of his fellow-countryman, the holy father John of Zedazeni. Fleeing the glory of men, the wonder-working venerable father John came with his disciples to Mtskheta and, having venerated the Life-giving Pillar, settled on a mountain to the north of the capital. From here, with their teacher's blessing, some of the disciples set out for the borders of Kakheti and others for Dvaleti.
At first Father David chose Tbilisi for his labours. Together with the monk Lukiane, his disciple and spiritual son, he settled in a cave on the slope of the mountain to the west of the city and set up a small chapel there. The monks lived only on mountain plants and spent their days in prayer.
The dwelling of the holy fathers drew the people of Tbilisi and its surroundings like a magnet. Great numbers came to the monks for confession. Father David listened to them and called them to repentance and forgiveness, and on Thursdays he went down into the city, encouraging the people with his preaching and strengthening their faith.
By Father David's prayer a wonder-working spring burst forth near his cave. Through this spring many of the faithful were healed of childlessness.
Tbilisi at that time was held by the fire-worshippers. By his tireless teaching and by the zeal of his angelic life Father David converted many fire-worshippers to the true Orthodox faith of Christ.
The magi saw that David was winning ever greater love among the people and tried in every way to blacken his name. One Sunday, when the holy father came down to the city to preach, they brought a harlot as witness to a slander prepared against him beforehand. Before the assembled people the harlot accused Father David of fornication. The teacher, trusting in the Lord, touched the woman's womb with his iron staff bearing the sign of the cross and commanded the child to name its true father. And the child miraculously declared a certain smith to be its father. The shamed magi who had devised the affair began to stone the woman. The people joined them. The venerable David could not stop them, and the slanderer was stoned to death. After this, sick at heart, he left the city together with the monk Lukiane. On the place where the holy father loved to preach there now stands the church of St George called Kashveti.
The venerable father wished, after the manner of hermits, to dwell far from people. For this he chose the wide wilderness of Gareja in Kakheti, on the plain of Karaia — a rocky place scorched by the sun and full of serpents — and with Lukiane made a cell in a small cave cut in the rock. When Lukiane was troubled by the lack of water in the burning heat, Father David comforted him with hope in God. For food the venerable fathers had the greens that grew nearby. In summer their food withered and Lukiane grew anxious. The holy teacher comforted him again with hope in God's help, and indeed soon two deer appeared before them with a fawn. Lukiane milked the deer and handed the bowl of milk to Father David. He made the sign of the cross over it, and the milk turned into cheese. Lukiane gave thanks to God who worked in the holy monk, and promised him: “Though my flesh waste away with hunger and my soul fail for thirst, I will take no more thought for this mortal and unstable flesh, for this vain and passing world, nor will I murmur for food like disobedient and unbelieving Israel, who remembered the flesh and the evils of Egypt.”
On Wednesdays and Fridays they took no food at all and only prayed, and on these days of the week the deer did not come to them. Below the cell where the ascetics lived there was a cave. In this cave dwelt a fearsome beast, shaggy and with enormous horns, whose eyes glowed like fire. One day the deer, coming as usual to serve the fathers, passed in front of the beast's cave, and it seized their fawn and ate it. The frightened deer ran to Father David. The holy father took his iron staff bearing the sign of Christ's cross and followed the deer's tracks to find the fearsome beast. Counting the beast as nothing, he raised his staff on high and commanded it to flee far from that place. The beast obeyed the saint's command, but just as it was about to go down into the Mtkvari, a thunderbolt hurled from heaven burned it up in an instant. An angel told David that the beast had meant to pass from the river into the sea, where it would have done people great harm, and so the wrath that had fallen on it was God's providence.
In the wilderness where the holy father had settled there were many different wild beasts. Once hunters from Kakheti were pursuing deer. Their amazement knew no bounds when they saw the deer standing before the holy monk as meek as sheep. At that very moment Lukiane was milking them. They fell at Father David's feet and begged him to let them stay with him. The saint entreated them as sons and brothers: “Go back to your own places and villages, and serve God there, keeping apart from evil and supplying the needs of the poor and the helpless; for he that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord.”
When the hunters returned, they spread the story of Father David among the people. So those who wished to take up the sweet yoke of Christ set out for the ascetics' wilderness. The holy monk blessed them to cut great jars into the rock to gather drinking water, and to hew out cells to shelter from the bitter winter.
The lavra of the holy father David of Gareja
The Gareja fathers were joined by the monk Dodo, known for his virtues — in the world a Kakhetian prince of the Andronikashvili family — who after becoming a monk had laboured in solitude at Ninotsminda. When Father David saw “the keenness of Dodo's mind in divine things”, he proposed that Dodo build cells on the summit of the rock opposite and take part of the hermits with him.
The venerable Dodo built more than two hundred cells on the summit of the rock, and later also a church of the Mother of God. So one of the branches of the Gareja complex came into being — Dodo's Rka.
David of Gareja loved to pray alone. For this the saint would go into a cleft in the rock and, watering the ground with his tears, lift up his prayers to the heavenly Father. Once, as he prayed alone, a partridge fleeing from a hunter's hawk flew to him. The hawk followed the partridge, and very soon a barbarian, carried away by the chase, rode up too. The holy father told the unknown rider that the partridge was seeking protection and that he must give up killing it. The barbarian not only paid no heed but even raised his sword to kill the saint. Then his hand froze in the air. He came to himself at once and, shedding tears of repentance, begged Father David to heal him in soul and body. By the holy father's prayer so it came to pass. Bubakar — for so the barbarian was called — now besought the saint to heal his crippled son as well. And indeed, when Bubakar returned home, the child ran out to meet him, leaping for joy. He had been completely healed at the very time that Father David was praying for him in the wilderness.
Bubakar loaded donkeys with bread and greens and, with all three of his sons, came back to the hermits. Part of the provisions they left with Father David, and the rest, at the saint's word, they took to the venerable father Dodo, to receive his blessing too. Bubakar and all who were with him were baptised. The newly baptised cut a church into the rock for the ascetic monks. Later this church was completed by the venerable monk Ilarion.
Father David made it a rule that whoever wished to settle among them should cut a cell into the rock and live three years in solitude. This was both a kind of trial for them and a road to the Lord. Many, after the time of trial, did not return to the monastery but chose the hermit's life and stayed in their cells to the end of their days.
So the number of the desert monks grew. For this reason Lukiane founded yet another monastic branch in the wilderness of Gareja — Natlismtsemeli, of the Baptist.
Some time later David of Gareja resolved to go on pilgrimage to the Holy Places. He called Lukiane and charged him with the care of the flock after his departure. Father David exhorted him to stand firm in the good race and, with several brethren, set out for the Holy City. When they drew near the mountain called the Ridge of Grace, the Holy City came into view. When Father David beheld Jerusalem, he first lifted up his hands to heaven in thanksgiving and then fell to the ground weeping. The holy father did not count himself worthy to enter the Holy City, and while his companions venerated the holy places of Jerusalem, he prayed fervently at the city gate. From the Ridge of Grace the saint took with great faith three stones.
That night an angel of the Lord appeared to Patriarch Elias of Jerusalem and said: “My own servant David came as far as my house, and by his faith has carried off the whole grace of Jerusalem.” Elias sent swift runners after St David and through them made known the Lord's will: to take one stone and return two, so that the city of Christ should not be wholly deprived of grace.
Father David did indeed return two stones to Jerusalem, and the third, on his return to Gareja, he laid in the church. Great numbers of people came to the wilderness to venerate the holy thing. By God's will the stone was filled with wonder-working power — its touch healed pilgrims of incurable disease. The stone of grace that Father David brought to the wilderness of Gareja heals those who pray with faith to this day. After the saint brought the stone of grace to the wilderness, the brotherhood grew in number.
To comfort and encourage them, Father David from time to time visited the monks who lived in the solitary cells too. In the cell of one of them bitter water dripped from the rock. The greens watered with it were almost unfit to eat. The monk living there consoled himself that in return he would escape eternal torment. One day he told the saint of his hardship. Father David rejoiced greatly at the monk's peace and obedience, and by his prayer to the merciful Lord he made the water sweet, and the greens too became good to eat.
The grave of Father David in the lavra of Gareja
Some time passed. It was revealed by the Lord to the venerable and blessed David that he would soon rest in the heavenly dwelling. The good shepherd called together the brethren living in the wilderness and exhorted them for the last time: “Be not dismayed nor troubled, but rather be strengthened and grow mighty, and know the vanity of this unstable world; for we are all passing, as it is written, and nothing of what is reckoned to stand upon the face of the earth shall abide; but the soul, as having received immortality, shall abide for ever before God, and we must receive good or evil, according as we have done in this life.”
He partook of the Lord's holy Body and precious Blood, lifted up his hands to God and, giving thanks, left his body of many labours.
Grace shone forth from the body of the departed saint. Among those who kissed his body was one blind from birth. The Lord Jesus Christ glorified His servant even after death. The saint's body restored the blind man's sight.
His disciples buried St David of Gareja in the same cell where he had spent many years. The stone brought from Jerusalem lay on his grave for a long time, and by its wonder-working grace healed those who came to it with faith.
Whoever venerates with faith the grave of the venerable and wonder-working father David of Gareja is healed of pains of soul and body to this day.
R. Gogitidze, the newspaper Madli, no. 9 (27), 1991
Erekle Bibichadze, the journal Karibche, May 2004
Merab Kostava
