In 813, the Presiding Prince Ashot I Curopolate fled the Arab oppression in Tbilisi and went to the southern Georgian province of Klarjeti. There, he established the new principality of Tao-Klarjeti. This principality played a crucial role in the history of Georgia during the ninth and tenth centuries, although Prince Ashot was not the first to set up home there. Before Ashot, men and women who sought seclusion for a ‘holy life’ had traveled to Klarjeti; monks and nuns led by medieval Georgian monastic leader Gregory of Khandzta (759–861). The intensive monastic colonization of these lands was one of the strongest factors that contributed to the rise of the Principality/Kingdom of Tao-Klarjeti.
Gregory was raised at the court of Presiding Prince Nerse of the House of Nersianid ( ca. 760 – 772 / 775 – 780 ). Gregory was the nephew of Nerse’s wife. Young Gregory was exceptionally talented. All his contemporaries were deeply impressed with his vast knowledge of theology, history and philosophy, and yet he had no ambition to pursue either a secular or an ecclesiastical career. Led by the example of Christian ascetics, he said he merely wished to lead a quiet life of prayer and seclusion. Despite his disinterest, as a young man, he was forced by his family members to be consecrated as a priest. After some time, his family decided to make him a bishop and the danger of vainglory became real for the young priest. On account of this, in the early 780s, along with his cousin Saba and his childhood friends Theodore and Christopher, the young Gregory, while still in his twenties, left Kartli in secret and headed south to Klarjeti. Thus began Gregory’s long and glorious path.
Holy Abbot Gregory of Khandzta(eighteenth century miniature)
First, Gregory settled in one of the oldest Georgian monasteries – Opiza, founded during the reign of the great Vakhtang Gorgasali. After two years at Opiza, Gregory decided to establish a monastery of his own. With his friends and companions, Gregory founded a monastic community in a place known as Khandzta, not far from Opiza. Soon, a local nobleman, Gabriel, from the House of Dapanchuli, learned about Gregory’s activities and invited the holy abbot to his house. After a long and sincere conversation, the nobleman and the abbot agreed to support each other. While Gregory’s support was spiritual in character, Gabriel’s aid was much more visible and effective, seeing him giving the brethren of Khandzta every necessary material for their construction. Using all these materials wisely, the members of the brethren built a wooden church and cells near the church. Some years later, the original wooden church was replaced by one of stone.
The monastic community of Khandzta grew by the year, becoming a pioneer in the great monastic colonization of the new Iberian Kingdom. A great number of men and women eager to lead an ascetic life came under Gregory’s spiritual leadership. The Life of St Gregory of Khandzta, composed by the great tenth-century Georgian ecclesiastical writer George Merchule, and finished in 951, preserves the names of some of those great ascetics: Abbess Febronia from Samtskhe, Brothers Etiphane and Matoy from Kartli, Zeno from Samtskhe, Michael of Parekhi, the Bishop of Atsquri Ephraim, and the Catholicos of Iberia Arsenius I. Every man and woman had their own story of what had called them to their monastic vocation in the wilderness of Tao-Klarjeti. Some were led by pure desire for an ascetic life, some were brought by personal tragedies, some wanted to pursue a brilliant ecclesiastical career, and some came because they were tired of secular life.
Khadzta Church (Photo by Nikoloz Zhgenti)
The story of Zeno, a renowned monk of the Klarjeti monasteries, is an exemplary one. Zeno became a monk through personal tragedy. A handsome and respected young man, Zeno came from a noble house, probably from the lesser nobility. From an early age, he yearned for a monastic vocation. However, at some point, his quiet life was disrupted. One day, Zeno’s beloved sister was seduced and kidnapped by a vile man (from Merchule’s account, our impression is that this did not happen against Zeno’s sister’s will). Zeno took up arms and went after them, but in the words of Merchule, after he had traversed a long distance, he thought to himself thus, “I am an honorable young man, and the one whom I am pursuing is nobody at all. It is a trap for my soul: If I were to catch and kill him, it is bad for my soul, and yet it is shameful if I were to dishonorably return home. Instead, I will now fulfill my promise of becoming a monk to the Lord.” And thus he went first to the Convent of Mere, to Holy Abbess Febronia, who was his relation. There, he met Abbot Gregory, who was visiting Febronia at the time. Febronia asked Gregory to accept Zeno at his monastery. Gregory agreed and took Zeno to Khandzta. The young man did not disappoint him, becoming a great preacher and ascetic, living a long life and passing away at a very old age, leaving behind him the name of a true saint.
After the founding of Khandzta, soon, other monastic clusters began to emerge in Klarjeti and other provinces of the new Iberian Principality- monasteries for both men and women. Gabriel Dapanchuli proposed that Gregory should build a convent for nuns, and Gregory liked the idea. Together, they travelled in search of a fitting place for a convent, finally stopping in the mountainous and forested land of Shavsheti. They chose a site known as Gunatle and founded there a convent. Other monastic communities followed in Mere (also a convent), Shatberdi, Ishkhani, Tskarostavi, Berelta and Nedzvi.
The Ruins of the Shatberdi Monastery (Photo by Alexander Boshishvili)
At the time of Ashot’s arrival, in 813, Abbot Gregory already had a history of thirty years of activity in the southern provinces of the Iberian Principality. In his fifties, Gregory was a well-respected and famous ascetic leader throughout the Georgian lands. When Ashot heard about Gregory’s deeds, he invited the holy abbot to his court. The meeting between Ashot and Gregory as described by Merchule is remarkable. When Gregory greeted Ashot, the holy abbot called Ashot the ‘Son of David’. In this way, Gregory immediately expressed support for the Davidic claim of the Bagrationi House. Abbot Gregory was not only a vigorous ascetic, he was a clever man and a smart diplomat, knowing perfectly well how to satisfy the ambitious nature of great princes and lords. In response, Ashot expressed his readiness to support Gregory and his monastic communities in every way. Thus, the alliance of State and Church in this new Iberian Principality was forged.
However, not everything went so smoothly between Ashot and the Church. One unpleasant incident threatened their firm alliance in particular: Ashot was married and had children (at least three sons are known of). One day, Ashot saw a young woman at his court. When he asked about her, the prince was told that she was a cook at the palace in Artanuji. The young woman was both fair and lovely. It was love at first sight: Ashot fell madly in love with her, and did not even bother to hide his affair. Everyone knew about it, and soon rumors of Ashot’s adultery reached the ears of Abbot Gregory. He felt responsible for Ashot, and not being a man who would hesitate in matters spiritual, nor fearing anyone, the holy abbot went to Artanuji. He did not enter the palace but stopped nearby and sent for Ashot’s lover. Soon, the frightened woman appeared before Gregory. When Gregory spoke to her strictly, the woman started to cry, telling him that Ashot had a great love and passion for her and she could not refuse his lust. When Gregory saw the woman crying, he changed his tone, beginning to speak gently, warning her to stop the sinful relationship with her master. Gregory sent her to his old friend, Abbess Febronia, who confined her at the convent of Gunatle. It is not hard to imagine Ashot’s shock and fury when he returned home to find his lover gone. On hearing that the woman had been sent to Gunatle, he mounted his horse and galloped to the convent. However, in Gunatle, he was confronted by Febronia, a fearless and harsh nun and an influential and powerful figure. Christian ascetics, who suppressed almost all human emotions, romantic love and sexual desire among them, did not tolerate these emotions in others. Not surprisingly, then, the abbess did not care about Ashot’s power, or his feelings for a servant woman. Of course, George Merchule, a typical medieval clergyman and writer, believed that Ashot’s strong feelings towards the woman were caused by the devil. In the words of Merchule: “[Ashot’s] lust for the woman was not due to the deceiving trap of human design, for he was overtaken by the nefarious machinations of the devil. He forgot any sense of esteem for himself and quickly came to Mere, but blessed Febronia had hidden the woman.”
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Artanuji (Photo by Alexander Boshishvili)
After Curopalates had prayed in the Church of the Holy Mother of God and received the prayers of Mother Febronia, he then began to speak: “You know, don’t you, Mother, why did I came here?” She replied: “The Lord knows why you have desired to come here.” Then Ashot chose to lie: “The reason for my arrival here is because she was the woman in charge of the treasury, and all our possessions were in her hands. Father Gregory brought her here and we have great need of her. See to it that she comes once more to the castle to assess everything for us, and she shall again return to you, as she wishes.” Febronia then sharply answered him: “Those who work iniquity bring excuses for the sins of men!” When Curopalates heard such a response, he retreated, shamed by her righteous rebuke. He was silent for a while, as one who had been conquered; the spiritual strength of her words, equipped with divine fervor, having defeated the physically strong king. In his broken heartedness, the troubled Curopalates said: “Blessed is the man who is no longer alive.” He then arose quickly and took his leave.
It is not hard to imagine how much pain was in these words: “Blessed is the man who is no longer alive!” However, even the Presiding Prince could do nothing against the will and authority of the hot-tempered, fearless and powerful abbess. Despite his strong love, Ashot could not risk losing the support of the Church. He thus had no choice but to live without the woman he loved so passionately.
Khandzta (Photo by Alexander Boshishvili)
His decision to overcome his personal feelings for the good of his realm shows that Ashot certainly was a great ruler. Ashot fully realized the perilous situation of his principality. He escaped Arab oppression from the Tiflis Emirate and founded a new political center in the south of Iberia, but still he had more rivals than allies. Ashot’s exile in the south and the emergence of the new principality caused many troubles for Muslim domination in the Caucasus. Eventually, his enemies managed to conspire against him, bribing men to find him. He sought refuge in a church, but the holy place did not hinder his foes: They chased him inside and murdered him at the altar without mercy. Merchule states that the blood of Ashot was still visible on the altar during his days, almost a century and a half after the prince’s death. Ashot was murdered in 826. He was beloved and respected by his subjects, and his people mourned him sincerely. But Ashot’s death did not weaken the princely house as his enemy might have hoped: Bagrat, Ashot’s middle son, took his father’s seat and the mighty fortress of Artanuji remained powerful and impregnable. Bagrat I (826–876) showed himself as a worthy heir to his father, being cunning, prudent and clever, but not cruel. His elder brother, Adarnase, renounced his right to the throne, likely due to his love for the ascetic life, leading to him choosing a quiet religious life over the turbulent existence of a prince. The youngest son, Prince Guaram Mampali, was the most impudent, hot-tempered and ambitious of the brothers.
The Fortress of Artanuji (Photo by Nikoloz Zhgenti)
In 830, Bagrat received the title of Curopalate from Byzantine Emperor Theophilus (829–842). However, Bagrat did not rely on the Byzantines: He needed other allies against his enemies, especially against the Emir of Tiflis, his main foe. In 841, Bagrat attacked the Arab troops and banished them from Samtskhe. Despite this attack, Bagrat did not hesitate to ally himself with the Arabs when necessary. In 843, he joined forces with Arab General Muhammad ibn Khalid, who invaded Kartli and attacked Sahak, the Emir of Tiflis. Sahak was supported by the rulers of Kakheti. The rivals clashed in the village of Rekhi, and Bagrat and Muhammad ibn Khalid lost the battle. Bagrat returned to Klarjeti and reformulated his political plans, deciding to support Emir Sahak against the Caliphate. However, when Khazar General Bugha Al-Kabir (serving the Caliphate, known as Bugha the Turk in Georgian sources) invaded the Caucasus with a huge army and went against Sahak, Bagrat hastily changed his position and assisted Bugha in Sahak’s capture. Bugha sacked Tiflis in 853 and executed Sahak. While in Kartli in support of Bugha’s expedition, Bagrat also defeated the western Georgian King Theodosius, but ultimately failed to maintain his positions in Kartli.
King Bagrat continued to support Abbot Gregory in the organization of the monastic communities in his principality. The famous Shatberdi monastery was founded during Bagrat’s reign. In the 830s, with the consent of Bagrat and all the members of the clergy of Tao-Klarjeti, Gregory became an abbot of all the monasteries in the principality. Bagrat and Gregory were on perfectly good terms. However, Bagrat’s younger brother, Guaram, did not have much respect for Gregory’s authority. At the end of the 850s, relations between Abbot Gregory and Prince Guaram deteriorated due to the election of the new Catholicos of Iberia.
Around 860, Mirian, a powerful nobleman from Samtskhe, hastily assembled a small council of bishops and consecrated his son Arsenius as the Catholicos of Iberia. This caused outrage from the Kartlian bishops and, most of all from Prince Guaram, who had his own plans regarding a candidate for the Catholicosate. Guaram summoned an ecclesiastical council in Javakheti, but did not notify Abbot Gregory about it. Young Arsenius was a disciple of Gregory, and thus Guaram feared that Gregory might support Arsenius’s candidacy. The council started debating canonical errors made during the election and the consecration of Arsenius, but the Bishop of Erusheti asked the council to wait for the “star of the desert” to arrive. They asked who this star of the desert was, and the bishop answered: “Gregory, the Archimandrite, founder of the monasteries of Khandzta and Shatberdi”. At this, one of the bishops ironically suggested: “Is he the only star in the desert?” Yet, it seemed the majority of the bishops there had great respect for Gregory’s authority, and they responded: “He speaks the truth, for he enlightens through teachings of light and is adorned with the Holy Spirit.” Of course, Guaram was not pleased by this, but said nothing. Not long after, Abbot Gregory arrived at the council. Guaram’s fear was justified: Despite the disputable nature of Arsenius’s consecration, Gregory announced his support for his candidacy. Gregory asked Ephraim, Bishop of Atskuri in Samtskhe, to support his childhood friend (both Ephraim and Arsenius were raised by Gregory). However, Ephraim appeared oddly stubborn, and replied to Gregory’s request thus: “Holy Father, it is impossible for my brethren, the bishops, to argue about the law. Forgive me too, for henceforth I am no longer a member of Arsenius’s flock, nor is he my shepherd.” At this reply, the holy abbot threw off his saintly calm and erupted: “If you do so, Ephraim, you have denied me as if I am not your spiritual Father.” These words deeply hurt Ephraim’s feelings and had a profound effect on him, seeing him suddenly coming to his senses and pleading for forgiveness: “Such a statement is quite harsh and cuts more sharply than a knife. May it now be your will and not mine, O holy one of God!” Gregory calmed himself and blessed Ephraim. Then he admitted that Arsenius’s father, Mirian, had been wrong to consecrate the Catholicos so hastily and with the participation of only a few bishops. However, Gregory continued to fully support his candidacy and believed that the Catholicosate of Arsenius was nevertheless the will of God.
Khandzta (Bell-Tower) (Photo by Alexander Boshishvili)
Guaram was not moved by this heart-warming scene, nor was he convinced of Gregory’s authority. He was furious with Gregory and his supporters, and decided to ridicule the great old man. He joked that perhaps the venerable abbot did not understand what was going on anymore (referring to his extreme old age). Gregory quickly replied that only bishops had the authority to speak and make decisions about canonical issues, and it was not for Guaram or any other layman to discuss the canonical aspects of Arsenius’s consecration. Clearly, the holy father also had a hot temper, and after his speech, he turned to Guaram and responded to the ironic remark about his age: “Now, in your words, Guaram, I have changed in physical nature, yet whenever the law shall justify you, you shall then see yourself having been warned and to no longer censure my words!” According to author George Merchule, Guaram had no answer, but instead asked for forgiveness. However, it is clear that Merchule fabricated many aspects of the story. He was a hagiographer, and all his stories needed to fit the hagiographical literary model. He admitted that Guaram opposed the holy abbot, but he did not want to portray the Bagrationi prince as an adversary of the man, and so he found another way, having Guaram sinning with his deplorable remarks, but soon realizing his sin and begging forgiveness, and having Holy Abbot Gregory quick to forgive him, since he was a good and caring shepherd of human souls. However, we believe that even Merchule could not hide Guaram’s hatred of the old churchman. Guaram had his own political agenda, and the elderly abbot was preventing him from implementing it. But Gregory’s authority was too powerful to compete against: The religious hysteria that took over the Principality of Tao-Klarjeti (hysteria of the kind that was common in the Middle Ages) gave seemingly reclusive ascetics too much power over the political and social life of medieval society. Thus, Guaram’s plans failed, and Arsenius became the new Catholicos, a position he held, leading the Georgian Church, from 850 to 887.
Holy Abbot Gregory played a decisive role in the resurgent Georgian monasticism, strengthening the positions of the Church in early Medieval Georgia and preparing the foundation for the future unification of Georgia. Holy Abbot Gregory died in peace in 861 at the age of 102.
