Akathist Hymn to the Holy Righteous Ilia

O star that dawned as herald of the unsetting and uncreated Luminary, who hast attained the blessedness granted by the all-good God, who by thy valiant watchfulness didst awaken us, slothful and wretched, from ruinous spiritual sleep and enlighten the senses of our mind, now commend us to the goodness of the Creator, that we who praise the saints of God according to our strength may ever sing to thee, lover of the unwaning light:

Rejoice, thou who bringest to life the enfeebled spirit of the fatherland and leadest our minds up to heaven, holy righteous Ilia!

Imitator of Him who conquered death by death, precious lamb who stood before the altar of thy fatherland, thee, numbered with the saints and the righteous for thy great watchfulness and the shedding of thy blood, we magnify thus:

Rejoice, wondrous ascetic who shone out in the sunlight; rejoice, good gardener of the vineyard of Iberia; rejoice, skilled nurturer of our minds; rejoice, thou who generously fillest up our lack; rejoice, encouragement of the despairing and the sorrowful; rejoice, thou who kindlest the saving word in our hearts; rejoice, thou who wast nailed to love of the fatherland; rejoice, thou who wast made ready by love for the unwaning kingdom; rejoice, thou who didst finish well the good course; rejoice, thou who by thy end didst shatter the devices of Beliar; rejoice, thou whose help is sought; Rejoice, thou who bringest to life the enfeebled spirit of the fatherland and leadest our minds up to heaven, holy righteous Ilia!

Marked with the divine seal and sealed by the Holy Spirit with living grace, from thy youth thou didst make thine own the love of the image of thy fatherland, crying thus to heaven: Alleluia.

Blazing and kindled with love for Iberia, a grain comforted by the saving Sower, thou now showest forth to us an abundance of spiritual fruit, and we, filled with the joy of peace, cry to thee:

Rejoice, thou who wast sealed with the spiritual image of sonship to the fatherland; rejoice, thou who wast established with the thanksgiving of thy native land for the halls of heaven; rejoice, plant planted for the consolation of our soul; rejoice, thou who didst rise like the sun to warm our heart; rejoice, blessed food of our minds; rejoice, living memorial of Christians; rejoice, thou who from youth didst depart from the darkness of ignorance; rejoice, lover of the height of the mind; rejoice, thou who wast well-pleasing to the Lord; rejoice, thou who drinkest of the blessedness of the kingdom; rejoice, thou who didst guard the image of God with reverent dignity; rejoice, longed-for fragrance; Rejoice, thou who bringest to life the enfeebled spirit of the fatherland and leadest our minds up to heaven, holy righteous Ilia!

Let us, O faithful, who seek the incorruptible treasure, become fellow-singers with the voice that came forth from the bosom of sound and right knowledge, whose utterance riseth to heaven: Alleluia.

Thou who didst drink from the cup of God-blessed knowledge, who for the sake of thy fatherland wast pleased to leave the fatherland, and in Petersburg didst fill the most spacious granary of thy learning richly with the wheat of letters, we cry to thee thus:

Rejoice, thou who strengthenest faith by knowledge; rejoice, thou who bringest fruitful knowledge to life by faith; rejoice, thou who didst know the ways of the Lord; rejoice, thou who didst make thy paths straight through Christ; rejoice, thou who with fervent love didst endure the straitness of a foreign land; rejoice, thou who wast filled with reverent prayer; rejoice, living scribe of the saving law; rejoice, thou who wast shown forth with surpassing wisdom; rejoice, thou who bringest dawn to the darkness of the homeland; rejoice, sweet-sounding heirmos of the Church’s hymnody; rejoice, thou whom the psalmists adorn; rejoice, thou of whom tongues sing sweetly; Rejoice, thou who bringest to life the enfeebled spirit of the fatherland and leadest our minds up to heaven, holy righteous Ilia!

Made wise by learning that driveth away fleshly grossness, and numbered with the holy fathers for thy desire to labour for the homeland, taking upon thee much toil for the fatherland, thou didst sing to God: Alleluia.

Grieved by the sorrowful lot of Iberia, filled with the God-blessed power of sonship, thou didst shine like an unquenchable lamp upon this land, the lot of the Theotokos; and we, beholding thy God-given light, sing thus to thee:

Rejoice, wine of the spiritual table; rejoice, physician sent to the fallen fatherland; rejoice, thou by whom we are healed of our sicknesses; rejoice, offering-up of the psalm of David; rejoice, thou who thirstest for the health of the people; rejoice, thou who weepest over our ignorance; rejoice, awakener of the slothful and the sleeping; rejoice, awe-inspiring courage; rejoice, beauty of Orthodoxy; rejoice, for those who behold thy struggle glorify the King of heaven; rejoice, for the angels in heaven sing of thy labours; rejoice, thou who didst depart in peace from this earthly pit; Rejoice, thou who bringest to life the enfeebled spirit of the fatherland and leadest our minds up to heaven, holy righteous Ilia!

To thee who wast sprinkled with the hyssop of divine learning, who with the harp of the word didst cleanse our understanding wounded by sloth and raise us up again to hope in the Saviour crucified for us, we Christians sing with a good voice: Alleluia.

Thou who didst long for thy heart to be filled with the commandments of God, and wast enlightened by the grace of the Lord that accompanieth Georgia, we cry out to thee thus:

Rejoice, preacher of divine love; rejoice, thou who by love didst make thy struggle shine; rejoice, wealth ever opened to thy neighbours; rejoice, thou who didst imprint on our hearts the light of thy footsteps; rejoice, thou who didst pay well thy debt to God; rejoice, thou who wast worn out with labour; rejoice, thou who didst give voice to an age-long silence; rejoice, thou who restest in stillness; rejoice, thou who entreatest God for our souls; rejoice, glorifier of the goodness of the Creator; rejoice, thou who art beloved of Christ; rejoice, thou who hast attained blessed peace; Rejoice, thou who bringest to life the enfeebled spirit of the fatherland and leadest our minds up to heaven, holy righteous Ilia!

Thou who wast valiantly made manifest among us by God and restest in the bosom of the Lord through thy manifold struggle, kindle the quenched lamps of our heart, that our deeds too may shine before God, who cry thus: Alleluia.

O divine fragrance rising from the earthly temple to heaven, who didst turn back the many wiles of Beliar stirred up against us, warmed by a sense of gratitude we sing thus to thee:

Rejoice, thou who rememberest the past valour of Iberia; rejoice, thou who didst know its buried glory; rejoice, thou who wast set aflame with the desire to bring the fatherland back to life; rejoice, thou who didst follow the star of renewal; rejoice, thou who didst trample on vain sorrow; rejoice, begetter of a good future; rejoice, thou who inspirest the virtues; rejoice, for truth became thy guide; rejoice, wrestler with this world; rejoice, thou who plantest the plant of the word in our hearts; rejoice, thou who hopest for incorruptible food; rejoice, raiser of the fallen; Rejoice, thou who bringest to life the enfeebled spirit of the fatherland and leadest our minds up to heaven, holy righteous Ilia!

Thou who didst know the straitness of the saving way, who by drinking the cup of suffering didst lighten the afflictions of us, weak and fallen, with a humble spirit and a contrite heart thou didst cry to God: Alleluia.

O radiant image of spiritual watchfulness, who adornest the holy Church with fair God-given light, we who have come to praise thy struggle sing thus to thee:

Rejoice, thou who bringest wrath upon the slothful and the sleeping; rejoice, sacristan of the Church who keepest watch from midnight; rejoice, thou who camest to us for watchfulness; rejoice, voice for unerring righteousness; rejoice, imitator of the holy ascetics; rejoice, thou who wast nurtured by thy people; rejoice, thou who didst follow Christ; rejoice, spiritual guide of thy people; rejoice, thou whose heart was wounded for our wounds; rejoice, thou in whose heart the strange fire of the altar of God blazeth; rejoice, thou who wipest away the tears of the afflicted; rejoice, thou who wast raised up on the mountain of holiness; Rejoice, thou who bringest to life the enfeebled spirit of the fatherland and leadest our minds up to heaven, holy righteous Ilia!

Thou who didst keep vigil daily in the grace of righteousness that cannot be stolen, and wast crucified with Christ by making that ungrudging gift flesh, the faithful of God join in choir to praise thee: Alleluia.

Warmer of the frozen land and lament of frenzied Beliar, to thee, the valiant adversary of the sleepless serpent, who by thy wondrous power didst crush the hosts maddened by envy, we who sing to thee offer such praise as this:

Rejoice, finder of the goodly pearl; rejoice, thou who art delivered for ever from ruinous stumbling; rejoice, thou who didst foresee the last time; rejoice, conqueror of those who rage against the Church; rejoice, thou who wast set as a leader over thy people; rejoice, thou who didst withdraw from vain wordiness; rejoice, for the basilisk bursteth asunder at thy wondrous courage; rejoice, for the fragrance of thy divine zeal riseth to heaven; rejoice, thou who didst enter the bosom of the vineyard; rejoice, treasurer of the grace that cometh down from above; rejoice, thou who art now clothed in incorruptible fine linen; rejoice, word of God interpreted by good deeds; Rejoice, thou who bringest to life the enfeebled spirit of the fatherland and leadest our minds up to heaven, holy righteous Ilia!

He who was crucified of His own will for our life, who by His ungrudging mercy set thee free, joined thee to the everlasting stream of salvation; and we who keep the feast of thy course have thee, the holy one, as our comforter: Alleluia.

The lovers of the corrupt spectacle of this world dug a pit before thy face, and, according to the word of the psalm, “they fell into it themselves”; but thou, made like our Saviour, didst ascend into the bosom of the kingdom; therefore we cry out to thee thus:

Rejoice, blessed temple; rejoice, thou who blessest those who curse thee; rejoice, thou who givest thanks for those who afflict thee; rejoice, thou who mightily cleavest hearts turned to stone; rejoice, consolation of the lame and the lepers; rejoice, for those who hate thee spit in thy face; rejoice, for pains and condemnations come upon thee; rejoice, radiant beacon; rejoice, wheat-bearing land; rejoice, feeder of the rational flocks; rejoice, for the good fruit of thy garden is reaped; rejoice, for the waves of the world break over thee; Rejoice, thou who bringest to life the enfeebled spirit of the fatherland and leadest our minds up to heaven, holy righteous Ilia!

Thou who didst long for the exaltation of thy beloved fatherland and wast roused from sleep by love for it, who didst listen to the pulse of the present and behold the consolation of the future, reprover of lawlessness on earth, now in the heavens thou singest thus: Alleluia.

Comforter of grieving Iberia and prophet of the restoration of her former glory, who didst proclaim the wondrous child, sunk in the lake of the people’s tears, as the raiser of the people, we who need thee chant psalms to thee:

Rejoice, thou who wast afflicted by the sorrows of the fatherland; rejoice, seeker of the glory of past ages; rejoice, thou who restest in the search for a consoling future; rejoice, thou who didst imprint the virtues on thy heart; rejoice, golden-mouthed one, who callest the people to rise through the commandments of Christ; rejoice, thou who didst know the holiness of those who laid down their lives for the fatherland; rejoice, wise physician of our pains; rejoice, thou who lamentest like Jeremiah; rejoice, thou who didst live by God-pleasing struggle; rejoice, thou who didst commend to the Theotokos Georgia crucified with Christ; rejoice, eulogist of the Georgian mother; rejoice, harper of the glory of God; Rejoice, thou who bringest to life the enfeebled spirit of the fatherland and leadest our minds up to heaven, holy righteous Ilia!

To thee, who didst hasten to Tsitsamuri at nightfall as to the eternal dawn, and wast clothed in a garment made white by the blood of martyrdom, we cry: Alleluia.

Pierced by the bullet of the lawless and slain for love of the fatherland, by thy bodily death thou didst ascend to the heaven of salvation; and we, blinded by the darkness of Tsitsamuri and brought to life again by the consolation of God, sing thus to thee:

Rejoice, thou who didst shed thy blood for the homeland; rejoice, thou who wast persecuted and pierced by the lawless; rejoice, thou who by thy end didst shine for ever; rejoice, thou who didst ascend to the heavens by the ladder of martyrdom; rejoice, thou who restest in holiness; rejoice, fellow-singer of the righteous; rejoice, for by thy death Beliar was exposed; rejoice, thou who hadst pity on thy perverse neighbour; rejoice, thou who wast raised above hatred; rejoice, thou who didst pass with glory from the world into what is above the world; rejoice, thou who art joined to the beloved people of the Lord; rejoice, thou who art justified by Christ; Rejoice, thou who bringest to life the enfeebled spirit of the fatherland and leadest our minds up to heaven, holy righteous Ilia!

Thou who wast led up into the unwaning light by the Conqueror of death, who didst give us the book of true life, we who purpose to praise thy places and are strengthened by rational bread cry to thee: Alleluia.

Pierced by the deadly spear of the godless, thou who by thy wondrous long-suffering didst forgive those frenzied brigands, through the lips of thy wife, the soul-destroying sin, we, astonished by the power of Christ’s forgiveness and risen up to thy glory, sing to thee again:

Rejoice, lover of the upward course of the immortal soul; rejoice, thou who dwellest in unfading beauty; rejoice, thou who wast washed for salvation in innocent blood; rejoice, treasurer of a worthy wife; rejoice, thou who didst end thy life in the service of thy fatherland; rejoice, thou who didst go out to meet the Bridegroom coming at midnight; rejoice, bearer of an unquenchable lamp; rejoice, thou who by great watchfulness didst attain blessedness; rejoice, radiant footprint given to us; rejoice, raising up of the fallen Kartlosians; rejoice, foreordaining of a great victory; Rejoice, thou who bringest to life the enfeebled spirit of the fatherland and leadest our minds up to heaven, holy righteous Ilia!

O physician of the enfeebled fatherland and instructor of its understanding, who receivest and welcomest the cry of all to thee, shining with the light of the Holy Trinity, intercede for us before Christ, that, loosed from the bonds of sins and attaining the divine abode, we who sing to thee may ever glorify God: Alleluia.

(This kontakion thrice. Then the first ikos: “Imitator of Him who conquered death by death…” and the first kontakion: “O star that dawned…”.)

O holy righteous Ilia, well-pleasing to God and made wise by the Holy Spirit, who didst shed innocent blood and art numbered by the grace of God with the saints and the righteous, by thy swiftly-helping prayer enlighten and illumine our God-protected people and its rulers. Strengthen in their ministry the Most Holy and Most Blessed Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazeti, the great lord, our father Ilia, the most reverend metropolitans, archbishops and bishops, the honourable priests, the deacons in Christ and all the monastic orders, the members of the holy Church and all right-believing Christians.

O holy righteous Ilia, enlightened by God and enriched with surpassing knowledge, entreat the merciful God for us, weak and fallen, that, watered and brought to life by drinking from the fountain of the wise spirit, we may be made ready for good labour in the vineyard of our wounded fatherland, and, raised up by the love of God to the service of our homeland, may sing with a good voice to Christ God who glorified thee, to whom befitteth glory, honour and worship, with His unoriginate Father and His good and life-giving Spirit, always, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Author: the deacon Mikheil Galdava.