On this day, June 26 according to the Julian Calendar (July 9 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates Saint John, Bishop of Gothia (VIII century).
Saint John, Bishop of Gothia (VIII century), was tonsured a monk from his youth. The venerable father made a pilgrimage to the holy places of Jerusalem and returned to his homeland three years later. In the meantime, the iconoclast Emperor Constantine Copronymus (741–775) had expelled the Bishop of Gothia. The Christians implored Saint John to take up the heavy yoke of the episcopate. The holy father journeyed to Georgia, which had been preserved from heresy, where episcopal hands were laid upon him. Having returned to Gothia, the bishop was soon compelled to leave his flock and, fleeing persecution by the Khazars, spent four years in Amaseia (Amastris). Saint John prophesied his own death forty days in advance. He reposed in the year 790 and was buried at the Monastery of Parthenitis.
May the intercessions of Saint John, Bishop of Gothia be with us all.