Ephraim II

His Holiness and Beatitude Ephraim II (in the world Grigol Sidamonidze, son of Shio; born 19 October 1896, in the village of Doesi, now in Kaspi Municipality — died 7 April 1972) was a Georgian churchman and public figure, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia and Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi from 1960 to 1972.

Biography

Grigol was twelve years old when his mother died. His father took him to the Gori Theological School, where he studied from 1904 to 1912. In 1912 the direction of the Gori Theological School gave its distinguished graduate Grigol Sidamonidze a special recommendation to continue his studies at the Tbilisi Theological Seminary.

On 12 (25) March 1917, in Mtskheta, in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Svetitskhoveli, the restoration of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church was solemnly proclaimed. Among those who signed the act restoring autocephaly, on specially waxed parchment, were Shio and Grigol Sidamonidze. Grigol's father lived three months after this; he died in 1917.

Grigol Sidamonidze took an active part in the work of the First Council of the Georgian Orthodox Church, and was afterwards a novice of His Holiness and Beatitude Kyrion II. In 1918 he graduated from the Tbilisi Theological Seminary, and in 1925 from the literature department of the Faculty of Philosophy of Tbilisi State University. On 17 January 1922 he was tonsured a monk with the name Ephraim. On 14 January 1923 the monk Ephraim was ordained hierodeacon. On 4 July 1923 the hieromonk Ephraim was awarded the right to wear the gold cross and appointed abbot of the Monastery of Shiomghvime. On 22 October 1925, with the blessing of His Holiness and Beatitude Ambrosius, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, the hieromonk Ephraim was raised to the rank of archimandrite and appointed priest of the parish of Didi Gomareti and dean of the Borchalo district. In March 1927 the Provisional Administration of the Georgian Orthodox Church made Archimandrite Ephraim chorbishop of the Eparchy of Mtskheta and Tbilisi. On 26 March the chairman of the Provisional Administration, Metropolitan Christophorus, raised him to the rank of bishop. Present at Archimandrite Ephraim's consecration in Svetitskhoveli were Bishop Varlaam (Makharadze) of Margveti and Bishop Stefane (Karbelashvili) of Bodbe. On 2 October 1927 the Synod of the Catholicate decided to appoint Bishop Ephraim to govern the Eparchy of Tskhum-Abkhazia. After his consecration he was styled first of Manglisi, then of Ninotsminda, and from 17 October 1927 of Alaverdi. Atheism was so extremely active in the country that Bishop Ephraim of Alaverdi was forced to return to Tbilisi and ask the Synod to let him serve as priest of one of the Tbilisi churches. In the circumstances the Synod of the Catholicate found it possible, as an exception, to appoint Bishop Ephraim pastor of the Church of St Barbara. On 24 October 1930 he was appointed temporary administrator of the Eparchy of Urbnisi. On 13 October 1932 he was confirmed as its ruling bishop. On 10 December 1937 Bishop Ephraim was arrested as unacceptable to the authorities and, by decision of a troika (Article 58, clause 11), exiled to Siberia, where he spent eight years at the heaviest physical labour. He was released on 2 July 1944. From 1944 he held the see of Kutaisi-Gaenati. From 1946 he was a metropolitan. From 1952 he governed the eparchies of Batumi-Shemokmedi and Chqondidi. On 28 March 1953 Metropolitan Ephraim was awarded the right to wear a diamond cross on his skufia.

As Patriarch

On 10 January 1960 His Holiness and Beatitude Melchizedek III, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, died. The Holy Synod met the very next day. The session was opened by Metropolitan Dimitri (Iashvili) of Bodbe, who proposed that Metropolitan Ephraim be elected locum tenens of the Catholicos-Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church and chairman of the commission for the burial of Melchizedek III. On Sunday, 21 February 1960, he was enthroned in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Svetitskhoveli.

The historic Patriarchate of the Georgian Orthodox Church had been state property since 1923. The Catholicos-Patriarch's residence beside the Sioni Cathedral consisted of just four rooms. His Holiness and Beatitude Ephraim appealed to the government more than once to return the old patriarchal residence, or to allow a new one to be built. After many years of His Holiness's demands, the authorities were forced on 30 July 1962 to grant permission to open the Mtskheta pastoral courses, whose director was the then Bishop Ilia (Shiolashvili) of Shemokmedi.

He was a member of the World Council of Churches. He held the degree of Doctor of Theology. From his pen came works on the history of the Georgian Orthodox Apostolic Church.

He is buried in Tbilisi, in the Sioni Cathedral.