David of Gareji | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Bishop, Preacher | |
| Born | Byzantine Empire |
| Died | Kingdom of Iberia |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Majorshrine | David Gareji Lavra |
| Feast | May 7 FirstThursday afterAscension of Jesus |
| Patronage | Georgia |
David of Gareji (Georgian:დავით გარეჯელი,romanized:davit garejeli;lit. 'David who sits outside'[1]) (fl. 6th century) was ananchorite,Desert Father,wonderworker and one of thethirteen Assyrian Apostles[2][3] of theKingdom of Iberia.[4] He is venerated as asaint in theEastern Orthodox Church.[5][6]
David was a disciple of John of Zedazeni.[7] David foundedDavid Gareji monastery,[8] with his disciples Dodo and Lukiane.[9] David decided to leave the monastery and go on a pilgrimage toJerusalem with a group of his disciples. After reaching Palestine, however, he only climbed one of the hills surrounding the city but did not enter its gates, considering himself a sinner and finding himself, approaching “the summit of Grace”, unworthy to walk in the footsteps ofJesus.[10] He also refused to meet with Elijah, the Patriarch of Jerusalem. He took three stones from theHoly Land and departed for Iberia. Elijah's envoys caught up with David nearNablus and took two stones back per the patriarch's command in order "not to take away the full grace of Jerusalem" with him.[11] David brought back only one stone to Iberia, which later became famous in the Georgian kingdom as a miracle-working stone.[12] The event demonstrates the traffic in liturgical goods between Georgia and the Holy Land.[13] The relic, referred to as the "stone of grace",[14] was believed to have the power of healing and was worshipped and highly venerated by different pilgrims of the Christian east and even Muslim visitors.[15] Having returned to the monastery David stayed there until the end of his life. He died in the second half of the 6th century and was buried inDavid Gareji Lavra. In the late Middle Ages, a period in which Georgia was often invaded, the David Gareji Monastery was subject to a series of destructive raids and, in order to protect this most sacred relic, the stone was frequently hidden in different places.[16] Since the 1990s, the miracle stone of David, has been kept at theSameba Cathedral in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi.[17]
In the 9th century, on the initiative ofHilarion the Iberian, David's tomb was turned into a place of public worship.[18] Orthodox hagiography calls him "the founder of the GeorgianThebaid" and counts him among the most venerated saints[19] and patrons of the Georgian Church.[20] Hisvita, "Life and Deeds of Our Saint Father David of Gareji"[21] was composed in one of the Georgian monasteries ofMount Athos, in the circle of the disciples ofEuthymius the Iberian.[22][23] In 2000, with the blessing of His HolinessIlia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, David's tomb was opened and cleaned. Archaeological findings demonstrated the relevance and accuracy of the written sources and the local monastic traditions.[24]