#samtskhe

[guardianofdreams]

My squad 07.2022

[beatricecenci]

Henryk Hryniewski (Polish-Georgian, 1869-1937)

Bieti Church

[vintagesouthkavkaz]

Armenian couple from Akhaltsikhe, southern Georgia, late 19th century.

[scrapblring]

Borjomi National Park

[religious-extremist]

St. Georgi the Recluse of the Black Mountains

A patron saint assigned by request to the blog of my brother in Christ, @dakotaking.

St. Georgi labored in the Black Mountains near Antioch, where he lived the ascetic life in the cleft of a mountain. Not many details are known about his life due to his strict life of reclusion. It was around the 10th and 11th century, during which the Christian community thrived in Antioch, so St. Georgi lived this way in order to avoid the contentions that arose amongst the diverse groups of monks who traveled from different parts of the world to live in the Black Mountain.

Despite his efforts to remain unknown, he was recognized for his virtuous character amongst the people who lived in the area, as “a man who is as pure as a dove.” He was visited by a monk named Georgi from Samtskhe, Georgia, and became his spiritual father. St. Georgi the Recluse tonsured Georgi the Younger into the schema after training him in the strictest ascetic contests for three years. Georgi the Younger eventually received the blessing to head to the Holy Iviron Monastery in Mount Athos in order to help the Athonites translate manuscripts from Greek to Georgian.

Georgi the Younger became slothful and neglected his obedience, doing only the work of a novice until seven years later when Georgi of the Black Mountains sent monk Theodore to rebuke him, at which Georgi the Younger immediately set out to obey the will of his spiritual father. Because of his hard work, Georgi the Younger himself became known as St. Georgi of the Holy Mountain.

St. Georgi the God-bearer and Recluse reposed in 1068, after the death of his venerable disciple, St. Georgi the Hagiorite of the Holy Mountain. His commemoration is on the 3rd of July.

It took me much prayers to find St. Georgi, but I knew as soon as I read his entry in the Synaxarion that he’s the patron saint for your blog. At first I searched for married saints so it would be for you and your wife but learned by prayer that St. Georgi deserves some recognition, albeit his biography is quite short and not very detailed.

Through the prayers of our holy fathers, of St. Georgi of the Black Mountains, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Wednesday, June 21, 2023

june 21_june 8

SAINT EPHREM, PATRIARCH OF ANTIOCH (546)

Saint Ephraim, Patriarch of Antioch, a Syrian, was a military general under the emperors Anastasius (491-518) and Justin (518-527). The saint was distinguished for his virtue, piety, and compassion for all the destitute.

In 526, the Lord punished Antioch for Christians falling into the heresies of Nestorius and Eutyches: an earthquake destroyed this magnificent city. A large number of the inhabitants perished. Patriarch Euphrasios was crushed beneath a fallen column.

The emperor summoned Ephraim to oversee the restoration of the ruined city. Among the workers was a bishop who left his see for unknown reasons. He predicted Ephraim's election to the patriarchal throne and asked him not to abandon deeds of charity and to struggle firmly against the heretics. In the year 527, Ephraim was indeed elected to the patriarchal throne. He governed his flock firmly and wisely by the example of his life. He also defended it against heretical teachings through his sermons and letters.

The following event gives some idea of his faith. Near Herakleia was a stylite practicing asceticism who had fallen into heresy. Learning about the ascetic, Ephraim went to him and urged him to be reunited with the Orthodox Church. The stylite could have been more agreeable. He decided to frighten the patriarch and offered to kindle a large bonfire, so they both might enter the fire. The bonfire was set, but the stylite dared not go into it. The patriarch prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ to show that he was of the correct faith, and removing his omophorion, he put it in the bonfire. After three hours, the firewood was consumed, but the omophorion of the saint was taken out unharmed. The stylite was converted from his heresy and reunited with the Church.

Ephraim fell asleep in the Lord in the year 545 AD.

Among his labors, Ephraim defended the teaching of the Orthodox Church on the union of two natures, the divine and the human, in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Source: orthodox Church in America

HOLY HIEROMARTYR THEODORE OF KVELTA (Georgia_609)

     Saint Tevdore was a simple priest who labored in the 16th century in the village of Kvelta. At that time, the Ottoman Empire and Persia were locked in a bitter feud over control of the Near East. At the beginning of 1609, the Ottomans conquered first the city of Baghdadi, then part of Samtskhe in southern Georgia. In June of that year, they launched an attack on eastern Georgia.      At that time, the Georgian ruler was the young King Luarsab II. When the Ottomans penetrated Kartli, the king was absent, abiding in his summer residence, Tskhireti Castle. But the Ottomans knew his castle's location and knew that his troops were small in number. They plotted to lay siege to the castle, capture the king, and ultimately annex Georgia.      The Ottomans quickly crossed the Trialeti mountain range and advanced into Manglisi, pillaging the lands and laying waste to the people. Miraculously, the Manglisi Church of the Most Holy Mother of God remained unharmed. One chronicler wrote: “A dense fog surrounded the church and village, concealing it from the enemy...”

     St. Luarsab had received no warning of the attack, and the enemy was just minutes from his castle.      In the village of Kvelta, not far fromManglisi, the Turks captured the priest Tevdore, a man sincere before God and devoted to his king and motherland. Fr. Tevdore could not escape to the woods with the other villagers, so he locked the doors to the church and concealed its sacred treasures. When the Ottoman Turks found Fr. Tevdore, they commanded him to lead them to Tskhireti Castle and threatened to kill him if he refused.      Hoping to deceive them, Tevdore led the Ottomans along a narrow, rocky mountain path away from Tskhireti Castle. Many horses and soldiers fell on the way to their deaths.      But after some time, the Ottomans realized that the priest had led them in the wrong direction. Embittered and hungry for revenge, they beheaded Fr. Tevdore.      As a result of St. Tevdore’s great sacrifice, St. Luarsab had time to strengthen his fortifications, assemble his armies, and finally annihilate the enemy.

© 2006 St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood.

ROMANS 8:2-13

2 The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed me from sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11, But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors-not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

MATTHEW 10:16-22

16 Behold, I send you out as sheep amid wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, feel free to worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. 21 Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

[valkyries-things]

DEDISIMEDI // QUEEN REGENT OF GEORGIA

“She was a Georgian noblewoman of the House of Mukhrani, a collateral branch of the royal Bagrationi dynasty. She was princess consort of Samtskhe as wife of Kaikhosro II Jaqeli (r. 1545–1573) and regent for her son Qvarqvare IV Jaqeli (r. 1573–1581). She played a leading role in a civil war that plagued Samtskhe from 1576 to 1578. After the Ottoman takeover of her principality, Dedisimedi retired to Kartli, leaving the government to her son, Manuchar II Jaqeli, who continued to rule as an Ottoman pasha.”

[troybeecham]

Today the Church honors Sts. David and Constantine of Georgia, Martyrs.

Orate pro nobis.

The 8th century was extremely difficult for the Christian Georgian people. Marwan bin Muhammad (called “the Deaf” by the Georgians and “the Blind” by the Armenians), the Muslim Persian ruler and military leader for the Muslim Arab caliph, invaded eastern parts of the Byzantine Empire, then Armenia and Georgia.

With fire and the sword he fought his way across Georgia from the east to the city of Tskhumi (now Sokhumi) in the region of Abkhazeti. The princes David and Constantine Mkheidze of Argveti were faithful Christians and skilled military leaders. When they heard about the enemy’s invasion, the brothers prayed to God for protection, assembled their armies, and urged their people to pray fervently for God’s help.

The Muslim Persian warriors approached Argveti from Samtskhe and attacked the Christian Georgians on Persati Mountain. The Georgian army won the battle, with David and Constantine leading the resistance against the fearsome conquerors.

But before long the enraged Marwan the Deaf gathered an enormous army and marched toward Argveti to take revenge. This time the enemy routed the Georgian army. Many were killed and those who survived were forced to flee to the forests. The commanders David and Constantine were taken captive.

The Muslim Persian soldiers bound David and Constantine and brought them before Marwan the Deaf, who began to mock them. But they reacted with complete composure, saying, “Your laughter and boasting are in vain, since earthly glory is fleeting and soon fades away. It is not your valor that has captured us, but our own sins. For the atonement of these sins have we fallen into the hands of the godless enemy!”

The furious Marwan ordered that the brothers be beaten without mercy, but they steadfastly endured the suffering. Stunned by the brothers’ resolve, Marwan decided to win them over with flattery instead. Promising him great honors and command of the armies, he turned to the older brother, David, saying, “I have heard of your valor, and I advise you to abandon your erroneous faith and submit yourself to the faith of Muhammad!”

St. David crossed himself and answered, “Let not this disgrace come upon us, that we would depart from the light and draw nearer to the darkness!” Then he condemned the error of the Islamic faith:

“Muhammad converted you from the worship of fire, but he could not instill in you the knowledge of the True God. Therefore it appears as though you suffered a shipwreck and saved yourselves from the depths of the sea, but drowned in the shallow waters of the coast.”

Enraged at this reply, Marwan turned to the younger brother, Constantine, hoping to win him over to his side. But Constantine was also unbending, and he fearlessly glorified the Most Holy Trinity: “My brother David and I believe and follow the one Faith and one doctrine in which we have been instructed. Our faith is in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and we will die for the sake of the One True God!”

Marwan ordered that the brothers be starved to death. After they had suffered for ten days, Marwan sent sorcerers and charmers to arouse in them a desire to convert to Islam, but their efforts were in vain. Finally the holy brothers David and Constantine were led to the riverbank near the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian. There they were brutally beaten and bound. Heavy rocks were hung from their necks, and they were drowned in the river.

That night three beams of light descended from the heavens and lit up the place where the brothers had been drowned. According to God’s holy will, the ropes binding the holy martyrs were loosed, and their bodies floated to the surface. A group of faithful Christians carried them out of the river and buried them on the bank of the Tsqaltsitela River, in a church that Marwan the Deaf had devastated.

The place of their burial remained concealed until the beginning of the 12th century, during the reign of King Bagrat the Great (1072-1117). Then, in fulfillment of King Bagrat’s decree, the Monastery of the Martyrs (Motsameta) was built over that place, and the incorrupt relics of the Great Martyrs are still preserved there.

Almighty God, by whose grace and power your holy martyrs the brothers David and Constantine triumphed over suffering and were faithful even to death: Grant us, who now remember him in thanksgiving, to be so faithful in our witness to you in this world, that we may receive with him the crown of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

[disticaretkursuistanbul]

Türkgözü Sınır Kapısı Ve Güvenliği

Türkgözü Sınır Kapısı Güvenliği konusu hakkında yazdığımız makaleyle ilgili olarak, Türkgözü Sınır Kapısı Türkiye ile Gürcistan arasındaki sınırda yer alan bir geçiş noktasıdır. Gürcistan'ın Samtskhe-Javakheti bölgesinde, Ardahan ili ile sınır komşusudur. Bu sınır kapısı, Türkiye ile Gürcistan arasındaki önemli ticaret ve turizm yollarından birini oluşturur.Hamzabeyli Sınır Kapısı hakkında bilgi almak için tıklayın. Read the full article

[angrenwen]

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A post shared by TasteAtlas (@tasteatlas)

Tenili 📍 Samtskhe-Javakheti, Georgia 🇬🇪 Tenili is a unique Georgian cheese made in the regions of Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli. It can be produced from cow's or sheep's milk, but the most important thing is that the milk should have a high percentage of fat. The cheese is pressed and the warm curds are repeatedly hand-pulled into thin strands, giving it a unique shape and visual appearance. The ancient technique of hand-pulled cheese is quite labor-intensive and requires skill and expertise. The traditional method was almost lost, but thanks to the small handful of women and their determination to keep this method alive, one of Georgia’s most unique culinary traditions is preserved.

[travelonlinetipsofficial]

Carnivore Picnic Food - All The MEAT You Can Eat - 13 Types of Kebabs!! - Travel Online Tips We’re eating Armenian Food BBQ in Georgia! 🌶️ Get Smoked Ghost Pepper: (affiliate link) … Georgia,Georgian food,Armenia,Armenian food,Culinary Backstreets,Samtskhe-Javakheti,Sakartvelo,country of Food & Drink #FoodDrink #travel #love #photooftheday #nature #photography #instagood #travelgram #travelphotography #travelblog #travel #travelgram #travelphotography #wanderlust #instatravel #travelling #travel #travelgram #photooftheday #travelphotography #trip #instatravel #foodandtravel #foodie #foodporn #food #foodblogger #foodphotography #foodies #foodiesofinstagram #travel #foodpornshare #sogood #travelonlinetips #MarkWeins #holiday #vacation #staycation

[ffao-blog]

#lake #jaji #village #samtskhe #georgia #green #houses #summer #travel #tour #hiking #trekking #brautiful #nikon #photography #photoshoot #life #mountains #grass #sky #clouds

[alexgeotours-blog]

Sapara Monastery #Sapara #Monastery dates back to the 10th c-14th c and consists several structures: St. Saba #church , bell #tower , small chapels, #fortress wall, Holly Mother’s church. At the end of the 13th century Sapara became a residence of the Jakeli family. Sargis Jakeli, took monastic orders and changed his name to Saba. His son Beka built St Saba's Church - one of the most architecturally important church of its time. It was named after the #saint whose name his father had adopted; there are valuable 14th c frescoes inside. From the end of the 16th #century until the beginning of the 17th century the Sapara Monastery became empty due to the expansion of Turkish policy into #Samtskhe and during this process the monastery's icons and other treasures were taken to more protected areas of #Georgia . If you are on the #way to #Vardzia from #Akhaltsikhe , take time and turn to the narrow #mountain path towards the woods approximately 9 km and #visit this #beautiful #Georgian #Orthodox monastery nested on the slopes of the hills. #instagram #instatravel #alexgeotours #alex_geotours #🇬🇪 (at საფარის მონასტერი) https://www.instagram.com/p/B41kfhYFrLN/?igshid=1ef9voigpf25g

[guardianofdreams]

Wild spirit, Samtskhe region, Georgia, 2022

[dato-georgia-caucasus]

Vardzia, Aspindza, Georgia

[eda11y]

Beauty on the rock by Daviti