St. Kyrion II (Georgian:კირიონ II) (November 10, 1855 – 26 June 1918) was aGeorgian religious figure and historian who served as the firstCatholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia after the restoration of independence (autocephaly) of theGeorgian Orthodox Church from theRussian Orthodox Church in 1917 until hisassassination in 1918. He was canonized by the GeorgianHoly Synod in 2002.
Kyrion II was born as Giorgi Sadzaglishvili (გიორგი საძაგლიშვილი) in the village ofNikozi, Georgia (then part of theTiflis Governorate,Imperial Russia), into the family of a priest. He graduated from the seminaries ofTbilisi (1876) andKiev (Kyiv) (1880), and was appointed a deputy inspector of theOdessa Seminary in 1880. Returning to Georgia in 1883, he served both as a teacher at the theological schools inGori,Kutaisi and Tbilisi, and a church official. At the same time, under thepseudonyms of Sadzagelov-Iverieli, Iverieli, and Nikozeli, he published several works, in Georgian andRussian, about the history of theGeorgian Orthodox Church andChristianity in Georgia. He discovered and studied several unique medieval Georgian manuscripts, collected old Georgian coins, recorded pieces of folklore, sponsored talented Georgian students, and collaborated with foreign scholars interested in Georgia.
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After the death of his wife and children, he became amonk, assumed the name of Kyrion, and was ordained to the position ofarchimandrite atKvatakhevi Monastery in 1896. He served as abishop atAlaverdi (1898–1901) and Gori (1901–2). In the early 20th century, during the heated debates concerning the status of the Georgian church, he was an active proponent of the Georgian autocephalist movement,[1] calling for the restoration of the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia abolished by Imperial Russia in 1811. For this reason, he was removed from Georgia toKamenets-Podolsk (nowKamianets-Podilskyi,Ukraine) (1902) and later to Kovno (nowKaunas,Lithuania) (1903). During May 3, 1903 and April 23, 1904 he was a bishop ofNovomyrhorod andvicar ofKherson Governorate.[2] In 1908, the Russian Exarch of Georgia, Archbishop Nikon, was murdered in Tbilisi, and the Russian government exploited the situation as a pretext for removing Georgian bishops from their posts.[3] Kyrion was deprived of the title of bishop, sent to Kuriazh, Ukraine, and later confined into theSanaksar Monastery in Mordovia. In 1915, he was restored to his rank and appointed a bishop ofPolotsk andVitebsk. He was able to return to Georgia only after the 1917February Revolution inSt Petersburg led to ade facto secession of Georgia from Russia. Returning to Georgia in September 1917, he was welcomed by Georgians as their spiritual leader. By that time, Georgian clergymen had restored the autocephaly of the Georgian church (March 12, 1917), and Kyrion was elected as Catholicos Patriarch and consecrated atSvetitskhoveli Cathedral on October 1, 1917. TheMost Holy Synod of theRussian Orthodox Church refused to recognize the move, and the result was a break in communion between the two churches. It was not until 1943 that the Russian Orthodox Church recognized the autocephaly of the Georgian Patriarchate and the relations between the two co-religionist churches were restored.
During his tenure, Kyrion faced opposition from a group of Georgian clerics who defied his authority. Kyrion's death remains a mystery to this day. He was found murdered at his residence atMartqopi Monastery early on June 27, 1918. He was buried at theTbilisi Sioni Cathedral. The Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church canonized him on October 17, 2002.[4][5]
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| Preceded by Russian Exarchate of Georgia | Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia 1917–1918 | Succeeded by |
Media related toKyrion II at Wikimedia Commons
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