On this day, June 9 according to the Julian Calendar (June 22 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, a pillar of Orthodoxy and Doctor of the Church, who reposed in 444 AD.
Saint Cyril was born around 378 AD and became Archbishop of Alexandria in 412 AD, succeeding his uncle Theophilus. He was one of the most brilliant and vigorous defenders of Orthodox theology in the history of the Church, earning the title “Pillar of Faith” and “Seal of the Fathers.”
Cyril’s greatest theological achievement was his defense of the title “Theotokos” (Mother of God) for the Virgin Mary, against the heresy of Nestorius, who taught that Christ was two separate persons and therefore Mary was only “Christotokos” (Mother of Christ). Saint Cyril understood that this heresy struck at the very heart of salvation, for if Christ were not one Person — truly God and truly man — then humanity could not be truly saved and deified.
Cyril gathered the Third Ecumenical Council at Ephesus in 431 AD, which condemned Nestorianism and proclaimed Mary as Theotokos. This council was a decisive moment in the history of the Church, affirming the unity of Christ’s Person and the full reality of the Incarnation.
Among his many theological writings, his commentaries on the Gospel of John and his letters against Nestorius are particularly celebrated. He also wrote extensively on the Trinity, defending the Nicene faith against all forms of Arianism and subordinationism.
Saint Cyril was a man of fierce conviction and sometimes sharp controversy, but his theological insight was matched by his genuine love for Christ and the Orthodox faith. He reposed peacefully in 444 AD.
May the intercessions of Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, be with us all.