David V

His Holiness and Beatitude David V (in the world Khariton Devdariani, son of Jibo; born 6 April [O.S. 24 March] 1903, in the village of Mirontsminda — died 9 November 1977, Tbilisi) was Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia and Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi from 1972 to 1977.

Biography

He received his first schooling in the village of Mirontsminda. In 1917 he finished the lower school in the village of Sargveshi, and then continued his studies at the Mghvime Monastery at Chiatura. On 1 August 1918 Metropolitan Anton (Giorgadze) of Kutaisi made him psalm-reader of the Church of St Nicholas in Mirontsminda. After the Bolshevik occupying power was established on 25 February 1921, the Georgian Orthodox Apostolic Church and its clergy were declared outlaws; militant atheism became known for the ravaging and destruction of churches and monasteries. In these conditions the reader David often moved from place to place. In spite of everything he was firmly resolved to become a clergyman, and he asked Bishop Varlaam (Makharadze) of Margveti to ordain him deacon and assign him to any church at all. On 26 February 1927, in the Church of St Nino in Sachkhere, Bishop Varlaam (Makharadze) of Margveti ordained him deacon; the next day he laid hands on him as a priest and appointed him rector of the Church of St George in Sargveshi. In 1928 Father Khariton, as an outstanding priest, was appointed dean of the Kharagauli district with the blessing of Christophorus, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. A year later, on 4 March 1929, he was transferred to the Eparchy of Mtskheta and Tbilisi, first to serve at Sioni, and from 1932 at the Church of St George at Kashveti. In 1945–1947 he was a priest of the Church of St Nino in Kukia. On 20 November 1947 he was appointed assistant rector of St George's at Kashveti, and from 6 May 1949 its rector. On 17 March 1955, at the feast of Pascha, he was awarded the right to wear the mitre by order of Melchizedek III, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. In 1956 Catholicos-Patriarch Melchizedek III of Georgia tonsured him a monk and named him David. On 27 August he was raised to the rank of archimandrite, and on 28 August consecrated bishop (he governed the eparchies of Margveti and Urbnisi). During this time, from 26 August to 1 October 1957, the hieromonk Gabriel Urgebadze served at the Church of St John the Baptist in Khashuri, in the Eparchy of Urbnisi. From 1959 to 1972 he was chorbishop to the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. On 24 July 1959, by order of His Holiness and Beatitude Melchizedek III, Bishop David of Margveti was awarded the right to wear a diamond cross on his skufia and was declared locum tenens of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. On 11 January 1960, the day after the death of His Holiness Melchizedek III, at the session of the Synod that met, Bishop David of Urbnisi declined the office of locum tenens in a special written statement, in favour of Metropolitan Ephraim. On 18 February 1962, with the blessing of His Holiness and Beatitude Ephraim II, he was raised to the rank of metropolitan. In 1962–1965 Metropolitan David was awarded the Orders of St Nino and St George, and in 1970 the right to wear a second panagia.

As Patriarch

On 7 April 1972, at 6.30 in the morning, Ephraim II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, died. At 1.45 in the afternoon of the same day there gathered at the Patriarchate Metropolitan David; the bishops Zinobi and Gaioz; the archpriests P. Oboladze, G. Chachua and P. Kosach; and the laymen I. Cheishvili, L. Saghliani and I. Samchkuashvili. They opened the Patriarch's safe, in which was kept a written testament drawn up on 17 March 1972 and signed by Catholicos-Patriarch Ephraim II, which read: “After my death I leave as my locum tenens, for a term of one year, Metropolitan David of Urbnisi.” On 1 July 1972 the 11th Church Council of Georgia, attended by 58 delegates, elected him Catholicos-Patriarch. The enthronement took place on 2 July in the Cathedral of Svetitskhoveli. Present at it were Metropolitan Ilia of Tskhum-Abkhazia, Metropolitan Zinobi of Tetritskaro, Metropolitan Romanoz of Batumi-Shemokmedi and Chqondidi, Bishop Gaioz, Archbishop Alexy of Moscow and Krasnodar (later Patriarch of Russia), and Vazgen I, Patriarch-Catholicos of All Armenians.

His Holiness and Beatitude David V had to labour in the hardest of conditions. In 1972–1973 up to fifty churches, monasteries and prayer houses were open in the Georgian Orthodox Church, served by up to sixty clergy, among them 4 bishops, 50 archimandrites, archpriests and priests, and 5 deacons. With the blessing of Patriarch David V these were consecrated bishop: the rector of the Didube church, Archpriest Giorgi Ghonghadze, on 13 January 1974, with the title of Manglisi; on 22 May 1976 the rector of the Church of St George in Telavi, Archpriest Giorgi Tsertsvadze, who was given the name Grigol and entrusted with the Eparchy of Alaverdi; and the rector of the Church of St Barbara, Avtandil Samkharadze, appointed Bishop of Bodbe on 24 May 1975 and given the name Ilarion.

In 1976 Patriarch David V made official visits to Moscow and Yerevan. In 1976 His Holiness Patriarch Maxim of Bulgaria came to Tbilisi. A delegation of the Georgian Orthodox Church led by Metropolitan Ilia (Shiolashvili) of Tskhum-Abkhazia visited India and met the country's prime minister, Indira Gandhi.

On 9 November 1977, at 9 in the morning, after a long and grave illness, His Holiness and Beatitude David V (Devdariani), Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, died. That evening at 7 o'clock the Holy Synod met and elected Metropolitan Ilia (Shiolashvili) of Tskhum-Abkhazia locum tenens of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. The Synod decreed: 1. that the locum tenens of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Metropolitan Ilia, be appointed chairman of the commission for the burial of His Holiness and Beatitude David V, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia; 2. that His Holiness and Beatitude David V be buried in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Sioni on 15 November 1977; 3. that the decisions of the session of the Holy Synod be officially communicated to the heads of the Orthodox and non-Orthodox Churches of the world and to the civil authorities.

His Holiness and Beatitude David V was buried on 15 November 1977 in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Sioni. The funeral service for the departed Patriarch was led by the locum tenens of the Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia, Metropolitan Ilia, with members of the Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church concelebrating: Metropolitan Zinobi, Bishop Giorgi and Bishop Grigol. Guests from abroad were also present: Metropolitan Alexy of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Bishop Job, and Vazgen I, Patriarch-Catholicos of All Armenians.

He was a member of the peace committees of the USSR and of Georgia. He is buried in Tbilisi, in the Sioni Cathedral.