On this day, June 9 according to the Julian Calendar (June 22 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates the Venerable Father John Shavteli-Gaenatheli, the great Georgian poet and churchman of the 13th century.
The Venerable John Shavteli was one of the most gifted poets of medieval Georgia. He was a contemporary of the great Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli and is celebrated for his magnificent ode “Abdulmesiani” (The Slave of Christ), a hymn of praise to the holy King Tamar of Georgia. In this poem, John glorified Queen Tamar as a model of Christian virtue, wise governance, and genuine piety.
John Shavteli was not only a poet but also a devout churchman. He was associated with the Gaenati (Gelati) monastery, one of the most important centers of Georgian learning and spirituality in the Middle Ages. The monastery of Gelati, founded by King David the Builder, was a flourishing academy of theology, philosophy, and the arts.
John dedicated his literary gifts entirely to the glory of God and the edification of his people. His works stand as a testament to the deep Christian culture of medieval Georgia, in which faith, learning, and beauty were understood as expressions of the same divine truth.
He reposed in the Lord in the 13th century, venerated as a holy man of letters who served God through the gift of poetry and praise.
May the intercessions of the Venerable Father John Shavteli-Gaenatheli be with us all.