On this day, June 13 according to the Julian Calendar (June 26 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates the Hieromartyr Anthimos of Iberia (Antimoz Iverieli), Metropolitan of Wallachia, who was martyred in 1716.
The Holy Hieromartyr Anthimos was born in Georgia (Iberia) around 1650, bearing the secular name Andria. As a young man he was taken captive and brought to the Ottoman Empire, where he received an excellent education in Greek, Arabic, and other languages. His extraordinary gifts — as a calligrapher, theologian, printer, and church leader — brought him to the attention of the Wallachian princes.
Anthimos came to Wallachia (in present-day Romania) and became one of the most transformative figures in the history of the Romanian Church. He established the first printing press in Wallachia and used it to print liturgical books in Romanian, Greek, Arabic, and Georgian. His printing work helped to elevate the Romanian vernacular language in the Church and laid foundations for Romanian literature and culture.
In 1708 he was consecrated Metropolitan of Bucharest. As metropolitan, he worked tirelessly for the spiritual and intellectual renewal of his flock, composing homilies, organizing schools, and building churches. He translated liturgical texts into Romanian so that the people could worship in their own language.
His reforming zeal and his political independence made him enemies. In 1715, the Ottoman-backed Phanariot ruler deposed him. He was tried, condemned, degraded from his episcopal rank, and sentenced to exile in a monastery on Mount Sinai. On the journey there, he was martyred — killed by Ottoman soldiers and thrown into the Maritza River — in 1716.
The Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates him on June 13. He was canonized by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1992. Anthimos of Iberia stands as a great bridge between the Georgian and Romanian Orthodox traditions, a martyr who gave his life in faithful service to the Church.
May the intercessions of the Hieromartyr Anthimos of Iberia be with us all.