Saint Ilia Chavchavadze — July 20 / August 2 (Julian Calendar)

On this day, July 20 according to the Julian Calendar (August 2 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates Saint Ilia the Righteous (Chavchavadze), the great Georgian poet, writer, public figure, and national hero who was martyred in 1907.

Ilia Grigolis-dze Chavchavadze was born on October 27, 1837 (Old Style) in the village of Kvareli in the Kakheti region of eastern Georgia. He received his early education at home: his mother taught him to read and write, instructed him in prayers, and introduced him to the Gospels.

In 1857, Ilia enrolled at the Faculty of Law of Saint Petersburg University. During his years of study in the imperial capital, he came into close contact with the Georgian intelligentsia then residing in Petersburg, and the fire of his national consciousness was kindled.

As a young man, Ilia asked himself: “What shall I say to my new country, and what will she say to me? Will I be able to speak to her a heartfelt word, a word that will make her heart beat with new life?” This question animated his entire life’s work.

Ilia believed that “just as a wandering man who no longer remembers who he is, where he comes from and where he is going, is not counted as a person, so too a nation that has forgotten its homeland, history, language, and customs cannot be supported by anyone.” He devoted himself entirely to the revival of the Georgian nation.

National necessity compelled Ilia to take on the role of historian: he delved into chronicles, investigated and researched, and reminded Georgian society of those pages of history that could awaken national ambition and pride.

The great Georgian figure often repeated: “If the language perishes, the nation perishes too.” He labored for the purity of the Georgian language and fought for its rights. He founded the Society for the Spread of Literacy among Georgians and became the initiator of researching and publishing ancient Georgian manuscripts.

From the very beginning of his public work, Ilia the Righteous declared: “Three divine treasures have been left to us by our ancestors: the Fatherland, the Language, and the Faith.” This triple banner became the spiritual foundation of his mission.

Ilia’s tireless work for the Church and the nation deeply alarmed the secret organizations that sought to destroy both. On August 30, 1907, the carriage in which Ilia and his wife Olga Guramishvili were traveling from Tbilisi to Saguramo was ambushed near Tsitsamuri. Ilia was mortally wounded.

Even in his lifetime, Ilia had forgiven his enemies in his famous poem “Prayer”: “Our Father Who art in Heaven, kneeling humbly I stand before Thee; I ask for neither wealth nor glory — only the good of my people I desire.”

In 1987, the Holy Synod of the Georgian Church deliberated upon Ilia Chavchavadze’s service to the nation and the Church and decreed that “Ilia Chavchavadze, this great Georgian statesman, writer, and national hero, be counted among the assembly of the holy fathers.” He is venerated as a righteous martyr of the Georgian nation.