Commemorated on October 5
Our Holy Father Gregory of Khandzta was raised in the court of the
Kartlian ruler Nerse. His family was part of the Meskhetian aristocracy.
He received an education befitting his family’s noble rank and
displayed a special aptitude for the sciences and theology.
The
youth chosen by God was extraordinarily dedicated to his studies. In a
short time he memorized the Psalms and familiarized himself with the
doctrines of the Church. He also learned several languages and knew many
theological works by heart.
While Gregory was still young, his
loved ones expressed a wish to see him enter the priesthood. The wise
youth had aspired to the spiritual life from early on, but he considered
himself unprepared to bear such an enormous responsibility. “My pride
prevents me from fulfilling your desire,” he told them.
Finally he
consented to be ordained a priest, but the local princes sought to
consecrate him a bishop. Frightened at the prospect, Gregory secretly
fled to southwestern Georgia with three like-minded companions: his
cousin Saba (a future bishop and the reviver of Ishkhani Monastery),Theodore
(the builder of Nedzvi [Akhaldaba] Monastery), and Christopher (the
builder of the Dviri Monastery of St. Cyricus). The four brothers were
unified by faith and love of God and bound by a single desire, as though
they were one soul existing in four bodies.
The brothers arrived
at the Monastery of St. John the Baptist in Opiza and presented
themselves before the abbot George. With his blessing they labored there
for two years. Then St. Gregory visited the monk Khvedios, the
righteous hermit of Khandzta. Prior to Gregory’s arrival, Khvedios had
received a sign from God indicating that a monastery would be built in
Khandzta by the hands of the priest Gregory. It was revealed to him that
Fr. Gregory’s prayers were so holy that their sweet-smelling fragrance
rose up before God like incense. The monk showed St. Gregory the
environs, and he was so drawn to this area that he soon returned there
with the other brothers and began to build a monastery.
The monks
were forced to construct the monastery in difficult conditions, since
the earth was rocky and mountainous and they were not equipped with the
proper tools. First they built a wooden church, and later four cells and
a dining hall.
A certain aristocrat by the name of Gabriel
Dapanchuli lived nearby, and Gregory turned to him for help with
construction of the monastery. With great joy he donated the stone,
labor and food necessary for this worthy project to be realized. In such
a way the first monastery church in Khandzta was established.
Gabriel
informed Holy King Ashot Kuropalates about the brothers’ activity, and
the king invited their leader, St. Gregory, to the palace.
There
he received him with great honor, asked him to bless the royal family,
and inquired in detail about the life and labors of the holy monks. Then
he presented Gregory with a generous donation to the monastery and,
having learned that the land in Khandzta could not be cultivated,
bestowed upon the monastery a large plot of fertile land in Shatberdi.
King Ashot’s sons, the princes Adarnerse, Bagrat, and Guaram, also
donated generously to the monastery.
And so, during the bloody
Arab-Muslim period of rule, when the Georgian people had sunk into deep
despair, the Klarjeti Wilderness was transformed into a life-giving
oasis to which the greatest sons of the nation flocked.
The rules
of the monastery were strict. In each monk’s cell was nothing but a
short, stiff bed and a small pitcher for water. Neither fires nor
candles were lit inside.
St. Gregory was known throughout all of
Georgia. At the request of King Demetre II of Abkhazeti (837-872), Fr.
Gregory built a monastery in the village of Ubisi in Imereti and
appointed his disciple Ilarion of Jerusalem as abbot. He built this
monastery on the border of western and eastern Georgia and in so doing
foresaw the unification of the two kingdoms.
The Lord performed
many miracles through St. Gregory. Once the church bell-ringer was
approaching the abbot’s cell and saw a light issuing forth from inside.
He knew that St. Gregory had lit neither a fire nor his oil lamp, and he
became frightened, believing that a fire might have started in the
abbot’s cell. As it turned out, others had witnessed similar wonders:
when the saint stood praying, he would light up like the sun, and beams
of light would emanate from his body in the shape of a cross.
Venerable
Gregory stood firmly in defense of morality, and he even confronted
King Ashot Kuropalates when his conduct was at odds with the values of
the Georgian people. Gregory had united his companions in their love of
God, but among the roses there appeared a thorn. A certain Tskir, a
protégé of the Tbilisi emir Sahak, schemed to obtain the episocopal see
of Anchi.
He forcibly took control of Anchi Cathedral and
committed many blasphemies. The clergy, and venerable Gregory in
particular, condemned his behavior, but Tskir was consumed by pride and
hired a killer to eliminate St. Gregory. Like a prophet, St. Gregory
foresaw the imminent danger but went out to meet it nevertheless.
Approaching his victim, while still at a distance from him, the murderer
saw a bright light enveloping the holy father. He froze in fear, and
his hand immediately withered. Only the prayers of St. Gregory could
heal him and permit him to return home.
The Church excommunicated
Tskir, and he fled to the emir for refuge. With Sahak’s help he returned
to the throne of Anchi and sent a military detachment to destroy
Khandzta Monastery.
The monks of Khandzta and their abbot met the
attackers in meekness and requested time to celebrate the Sunday
Liturgy. The whole brotherhood prayed tearfully to the Lord to save the
monastery.
The Liturgy had not yet been completed when a messenger arrived from Anchi to report that Tskir had died suddenly.
Near
the end of his life St. Gregory spent most of his time at Shatberdi
Monastery, which he himself had built. When he received a sign that his
death was approaching, he distributed candles throughout all the
monasteries in the Klarjeti Wilderness and requested that they be burned
on the day of his death. He asked all to remember him and bade farewell
to Khandzta.
On the day of his repose, holy fathers from all over
Klarjeti gathered to receive a final blessing from their teacher.
Gregory blessed them, admonished them for the last time, and gave up his
soul to God. When he breathed his last, a voice was heard from heaven,
calling him: “Do not be afraid to come, O Venerable Servant of Christ,
for Christ, the King of heaven, has Himself anointed you an earthly
angel and a heavenly man. Now come and approach thy Lord with great joy
and prepare for exaltation, for you are blessed among the saints and
your everlasting glory has been prepared!”
Abounding in blessings
and perfect in wisdom, justly ruling the inhabitants of the wilderness,
St. Gregory of Khandzta reposed on October 5, 861, at the age of 102.
In accordance with his will, he was buried among his brothers at
Khandzta Monastery.
SOURCE:
SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2015(with 2014's link here also and further: 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and even 2007!):