Collectio textuum hagiographicorum, Vol. V

The Martyrdom of the Most Glorious Queen Ketevan, who was martyred by the lawless Shah Abbas, king of the Persians, in the city of Shiraz. For any good beginning of a work, a good intention is fitting and filled with great wisdom, so that when their minds are gathered for the understanding of their divinely inspired books, and through it are filled, like a river, their honey-flowing words may water the face of the whole earth. For behold, I, intending to enter into those impenetrable places and to approach that unapproachable matter, which is difficult for me to accomplish, first pray to God, my Creator, that he may fulfill this my prayer and grant me the mind of understanding and a tongue fitting for speech, so that I may be able to write and preach this present discourse concerning that miraculously wrought deed before all, and like a sponge, moisten the ear of those who love to hear. For these deeds are great and lofty and to be described by the great, while my words are small and contemptible.

But I did not wish that the struggles of the blessed Queen Ketevan’s ascetic labors should not be written down, for I was compelled by certain God-loving men to write this account, so that this wholly blessed life might not be consigned to oblivion. For all the saints of God, of the East and of the West, struggle for their own lands and peoples, and are intercessors and advocates for them and for all before God; but especially for their own they are mediators before God for the direction of their affairs. And we also, who year by year prepare with hymns and praises a fitting feast and celebration for the good victor and wholly blessed queen, shall receive from her the same reward as those others, and even more shall she struggle for us and for her own lands, for we are inhabitants of her kingdoms and servants of her sons.

But this thrice-blessed martyr of Christ, Queen Ketevan, was born from the anointed lineage of the land of Mukhrani, from faithful and God-loving men, great and noble, and generals of the land of Kartli, and was raised by virtuous parents, as befitted their goodness, with instruction in the service of God, and day by day she advanced in age and grew up like a child of the heavenly Father. This blessed one was exceedingly beautiful in form, and her face shone like the sun, and her radiance overshadowed the face of the whole earth.

And when she reached the age of twelve and the time of marriage came, she was given by her father to the son of the king of the Kakhetians, the prince Pancratius, a faithful and God-loving man, valiant and adorned with every good virtue, the son of King Alexander, David; and as befitted their goodness and sovereignty, they likewise solemnized the marriage, for this too, before God, is not unseemly, even marriage, as the Apostle Paul says: "He who marries off his virgin does well, and if a virgin marries, she does not sin." As was the custom of betrothal, they likewise fulfilled the times of their life and brought forth good and altogether seemly offspring, and bore sons and daughters, and passed all the days of their life in joy and delight and in the accomplishment of deeds pleasing to God. Meanwhile, some time passed, and the sovereign King Alexander himself reached great old age and, because of his infirmity and old age, could no longer govern the scepter of his kingdom; and their realms were in great distress and sorrow, the nobles, the aznaurs, and all their people.

All these men approached David, her son, and spoke to him with these words, saying: "Until now we have been servants of your father, obedient to his commands and executors of his precepts. But now, he has reached a great old age and can no longer manage us; what shall we do, for we are without a leader? Behold, you have the power; arise and take charge, and seize our kingship, and in his stead administer the scepter of his kingdom, for we are greatly distressed." This was grievous to David and to his blessed wife Ketevan. And they did not wish that during the lifetime of their father they themselves should become king of their realm, and thus they said to them: "It is not fitting for me to rise up against my father and to take away the honors of his kingship." And he did not wish to undertake this matter, but again the nobles themselves compelled him and brought the same speech, and somehow by force they persuaded him to accomplish this deed. And he went to his father and with reverence sought forgiveness from him. But his father, seeing such deference, gave his consent, though not with a sincere heart.

And after this, he seized this land of Kakheti and governed his life well, for the queen Ketavan herself acted as was fitting in every good work: in the building of churches, the reception of orphans, the consolation of widows, and the assistance of the poor and infirm, and she herself shared in the royal honors. And upon this, many days passed, and King David himself fell ill with a mortal sickness and departed from this world, and the natural duties of our kind were fulfilled upon him, which is the end. And since it was improper to oppose his father, God also granted no further extension of his days, what can I say about that day and time!

And such lamentations and weeping were accomplished at that time, each one of which it is impossible for us to recount, and this blessed queen Ketavan herself, as was the custom of mourning, fulfilled it and well consoled their widowhood according to that which is written in the holy Gospel: Anna, who lived with her husband from her own virginity for seven years, for like her, in righteousness and piety, she accomplished the works of widowhood, not by union with others, nor by pursuit of this world, but in tranquility, humility, and by passing every night sleeplessly with prayer and fervent tears. For she wove her head in reading and study of divine scriptures, and despised all worldly pleasures and completely forgot them, and she had a son, perfect in age, altogether beautiful and like an angel, named Teimuraz, and by him she alleviated the manifold sorrow and grief of this world of trial.

Along with all this, the devil did not wish to cease his temptation upon her, but added again more bitter temptations than the first, and her own grandfather snatched from her lands the child, the young Teimuraz, and sent him as a hostage to the king of the Persians. What shall I say concerning this, how great a sorrow encompassed that blessed mother, for she no longer had any consolation of joy. And she became patient in this trial as well, for she had heard in the holy Gospel written: "He who endures completely, that one shall be saved." And for the sake of this word, she did not wish to dishonor it, but entrusted herself to God and to her holy protector, the Mother of God. And when the child Teimuraz was taken away and presented to the king of the Persians, he rejoiced with great joy and raised him as his own son, and for many times he dwelt with him, and with him were also the nobles and lesser aznaurs who had been carried off with him by his grandfather.

Along with all this, before much time had passed, the brother of this Teimuraz’s father, Constantine, had for some reason gone to the king of the Persians and had been raised in the inner palace of the kingdom; he forgot the ancestral faith of Christianity and became an Ishmaelite and a barbarian, wholly inhabited by unclean demons, and he was transformed, and like a dog he gnashed his teeth for the destruction of Christ’s faith. And since he was transformed by such a transformation, he was pleasing to the king of the Persians: he called him his brother and acknowledged him as faithful to himself, and he showed him great honor and listened to him sweetly as was fitting. It is not fitting, since we have written the life and martyrdom of the queen, that we should bring in such a lawless man and by him prolong my words and give a little time to their life, but the more I speak of this lawless one, the more the name of this martyr is magnified.

But we, from the very first path, shall begin to go and, overtaking it, shall proclaim the memory of the lawless Constantine, for he was with the king of the Persians, and many and countless favors were granted to him by that king, and along with all this, he was also granted the principality of Shirvan and its surrounding villages, many of them, and he was greatly enriched, and he made that pitiable one second to himself: pitiable because he inherited those abysses of hell, the outer darkness, and the unquenchable Tartarus. And when he seized his own principality, which had been granted to him by the Persians, that mad and bloodthirsty dog wished to rise up against his own father and brother to kill them and shed their blood, just as Cain did against Abel. But this one is more merciless than even Cain and others like him, for Cain killed only one brother, while this one added to the blood of his own father the death of his brother, for it was so commanded to him by the king of the Persians.

He arrived in Shirvan and sat upon the throne of lawlessness, and conceived an evil plan in his heart, and craftily desired to see his father Alexander and his brother George. He sent messengers before them and thus proclaimed: "Since so many years have passed and I have not yet seen the beauty of your countenance and the vigor of your body, I have remembered that former love of brotherly kinship, and I wish to see you soon." And this messenger came before them, and they saw the letter written by him, and they read the words of love from him, and rejoiced greatly, for they too desired to see him. King Alexander and his son George and all the nobles of Kakheti received him, for they were ignorant of the evil hidden in his heart and did not know what wicked plan he was concealing. They also sent a trustworthy and wise man and invited him with honor to come to them, and when he saw the messengers sent by them, he rejoiced with great joy, and at that same hour he quickly set out, bloodthirsty against his father and brother, and arrived in Kakheti.

And these also set out on the road to meet him, and about the middle of the heart of Kakheti they met, and both dismounted from their horses and embraced one another. And these, like the prodigal son, caressed and loved him, while he, with false joy, feigned their love, and they came into the inner house of the palace and spent the day in feasting and drinking, and day by day they rejoiced and made merry and said: "This son of ours was dead and has come to life, he was lost and has been found," and many other such things they said. But to that evil one such pleasures and joys were not pleasing, but he was thinking of that which was kindled within him by devilish envy, and he hastened the deed and wished to fulfill his desire quickly. On one day he held a great feast and summoned his father and his brother, and they sat down to feast and began to eat bread, and upon them was fulfilled that prophecy of David which says: "He who ate bread with me magnified deceit against me." And with that evil one were men resembling his own wickedness, and he resolved through them to secretly destroy his father and brother with poison.

When it was about midday, those evil brigands came and struck King Alexander on the head, and at that same hour he gave up his spirit. Likewise his son George also, and he too abandoned this transitory life and hastened to that eternal repose. Both of them departed to the blessed life and rejoice joyfully forever. And those dead, who had been slain by him, he placed upon his own camel and sent them to Alaverdi, to their burial place, and they buried them as was fitting, and performed some small rite of burial, for they were unable to give them the honor that befitted them because of that lawless rebellion. What shall I say of that evil Constantine, what did he not do and what did he not say, and he accomplished every evil deed completely.

But this blessed Queen Ketevan, when she saw all this evil being accomplished by him, her heart was filled with great sorrow, and she said to the Lord, our God: "Do not abandon us entirely for the sake of your name; do not break your covenant, nor remove your mercy from us." And every day and at all times she prayed unceasingly with sighs to her holy, life-giving, and venerable Cross, the refuge of Christians, the Mother of God, that it might preserve her unharmed from this evil trial; and she herself remained in one steadfast and unassailable place, for great fear and turmoil of this world had seized her. And she had as hope the holy Mother of God and her son, Jesus Christ, born immaculate, and this was her hope and consolation.

After this, Constantine seized the domain of his father and set out from his own abodes, and drew near to her, and desired to take her as wife, just as Herod did with Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. But this blessed woman did not consent, for it is not fitting to call her a woman because of this, for at the end she showed manly courage. She remembered the preaching of the Baptist, whose severed head cried out, "It is not lawful," and she strongly opposed him and did not consent to the fulfillment of his desire, but chose death rather than union with that evil man. Since she was not obedient to him and stood firmly upon the commandments of Christ, she was strengthened by the power of Christ and went to her own throne, together with her like-minded ones, among the lawless ones in Shirvan, and, as was fitting for their law, she accomplished much evil of such a kind and performed every shameful deed. When the nobles of Kakheti saw this, they said in their hearts and spoke to one another: "There is no one among the ancient men, either a narrator or a rememberer, who had heard that any ruler had accomplished such countless evil: he killed our king Alexander and his son George, and what more shall we say than this?

We were formerly, that we too were cut off with her, and no longer did such great evils befall us in our life. At this, these men, believers in Christ, conspired and desired to renounce him and no longer submit to him, and they also resolved to kill him secretly by night, for openly they could not do this because of the multitude of his army. One night they went to where his dwelling was, and saw his beds empty, for he had arisen and gone to the tomb of Muhammad to perform his commemoration. And they did not find him, so that they could accomplish their desire and kill that accursed one. At that same time, the Huns rose up against their own and swiftly with a rush set out for their own land of Kakheti and arrived, for all this they had planned in Shirvan. He perceived this, and that utterly abominable one pursued them, so that he might bring them to the face of the sword, but he could no longer overtake them nor was he able to capture them. And they arrived at the blessed queen and reported all this to her. And the great and the small gathered together and with an oath promised that henceforth they would no longer obey him.

And they remained in the loyalty of the blessed queen, and thus they would remind her: "Since our king, the most merciful Alexander, and his son Giorgi have been taken from us, and by the edge of the sword he cut them down, and for you he has devised such dishonor of this honorable one. We no longer obey him, nor do we submit to his words, but we remain obedient to your command." For they had neither a king nor a king's son; this blessed one was their hope and consolation, because all this conspiracy was entirely ordained by God, and the power of God shielded this blessed queen Ketevan, and the right hand of her strength, for she beheld the Lord of glory in his end, how it might please him. And upon this blessed one she placed the hope of her life, and everything she did, she accomplished for the glorification of God. And these men of Kakheti were entirely gathered in one place with the queen, and all deliberated upon this matter, so that they might stand fearlessly in loyalty before the queen, and call upon God as their helper, and strengthen and fortify one another, so that no one's mind among them might be altered out of fear of the vile Constantine.

And all these rumors reached the ears of Constantine, and many others besides these, for they did not wish his kingship over them. He was seized by great sorrow, and every night and every day he pondered this, by what means or by what deed he might direct his affair, for he felt great shame and was consumed with envy, that so many deeds should have been accomplished against him by a single weak woman. For this matter greatly troubled him, and he could no longer endure it, but he gathered all his troops and also other allies of his faith, and with heavy force and innumerable armies he advanced upon Kakheti, as if upon Istanbul, to destroy, to burn, and to lay waste this land. And concerning this queen herself he declared, if he should seize her, he planned to subject her to many torments and to consign her to the fire. And that evil one advanced with heavy force and countless multitudes of troops, and he devised much evil in his heart, and he trusted in the multitudes of that army, and that wretched one did not know how God governs the affairs of men.

And these rumors came before the queen and all the princes of Kakheti, and they gathered together all the great and the small before this God-loving queen, and they came and said to her: "Do not be afraid, and do not be terrified of this matter, for before God there is neither manhood nor womanhood, but all are one through Christ Jesus." And they spoke to her such words of consolation. But she, as was fitting, uttered such a speech before them and entrusted all her work to God and to His holy Mother of God of Sasa. And she commanded them: "Whatever is fitting, or whatever God ordains, let us do that." Then they said to her: "Come also with us, and may the Lord God prosper our journey." And this blessed one, like Deborah, like the mother of Moses, put on manly courage and arrayed the Ovsian warriors, and led the precious cross before them as a vanguard, and offered herself. And there was no longer any womanly weakness, nor did she look upon the fear of that lawless one's terrors and multitude, but her eyes and mind were fixed above.

And this blessed one continually prayed to God without ceasing, and she encouraged and strengthened her troops, and thus she spoke to them: "Be valiant and grow strong, and do not look upon their multitude, for the Lord crushes the proud and grants the humble victory over them, for this reason: first, the enemy of Christ desires to destroy the faith of Christians; second, because the blood of that God-loving king, similar to the great Constantine, Alexander, his father, like the blood of Abel, cries out upon the earth." And thus she strengthened them. And those lawless ones came to the opposite bank of the Alazani and ascended to the upper plain of Makabeli and encamped there, and they surrounded their tents with trenches, and their trumpets sounded in the night watch. And these cross-bearing Christian troops, servants of that blessed queen, little by little advanced and also encamped opposite them, so that they might see each other from this side and that. They spent that night in prayer and supplication to God, and they prayed for victory over them.

And when that night had passed and the sun shed its light upon the face of the whole earth, all these arose and first took up as armor the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with tears they partook of the holy mysteries of the body and blood of Christ, and they sealed all the parts of their own bodies with the cross of Christ, and they put on chainmail, and the power of God was with them, and they took up all their weapons and grasped lances in their hands, and they ascended against the Huns and scattered their own squadrons to the right and to the left. But as for that queen, what shall I say of the fear and trembling that seized her? And she stretched forth her hands and tearfully prayed to God the Creator, and she placed her face upon the ground and said: "Lord, do not give this people of yours to those lawless Ishmaelites, but look with a merciful eye and subdue beneath the feet of these all their forces and powers, so that they may serve you all the days of our life.

And at that time the lawless ones were ready and began little by little to advance, and these Christians stood firm, steadfastly. And as is the custom of the lawless—the pursuit of chariots and the observation of stars—the foul Constantine saw his own Ram and did not wish on that day to do battle with them. And he mounted his horse and with a charge pursued his own troops, and when he came near them, the nobles of Kakheti recognized him, for they had seen him many times and were well acquainted with his appearance, and they set out and rushed swiftly upon him, and three skilled horsemen—David, Tamaz, and Bebur—overtook him and struck him with a spear and threw him from his horse and bound him tightly. And while he was still alive, he recognized these men and said to them: "Do not kill me, for today I am under your hands." He pleaded greatly and promised them much mercy and many other things, but they did not deign to listen to him; rather, they cut off his head, just as he had done to his own father, and split his head in two, and placed his portion with the two-faced ones, and they put on great victories at that time, and just as the head of Holofernes, cut off by Judith, so they brought it to Queen Ketevan and praised her with victory.

The queen rejoiced at this wondrous deed and offered thanks to the Creator God, for she had been saved from the hands of that evil beast. Then the victorious hosts of Christians persecuted those lawless ones, scattered them, and uprooted all their snares. And one hundred and one thousand were slain, and they were brought down by the edge of the sword, and their plunder was seized. And upon them was fulfilled that saying of the prophet, which says: "I saw the godless one exalted and elevated, like a cedar of Lebanon, and, behold, I saw and could not even find his place." When the ruler of all had thus ordained, then this faithful queen commanded her troops to bring in the accomplices of that lawless one and to carry them to the Persian cemetery, just as the Lord Christ commanded a certain disciple of his, whose father had died in lawlessness, that "they should leave the dead to be buried by their own dead." And those living in their unbelief carried away that dead one and buried him in the plain.

Then the envoys, trustworthy men, went to the king of the Persians, and the queen, this faithful woman, spoke to him thus: "O king, this child, my son, whom his grandfather gave you out of envy, now grant him to me and make him king of this land, so that we may serve you faithfully and live in peace under your command, and bring you the tributes and gifts of the kingdoms year by year, as is fitting from the younger to the elder. But if you do not give me this son of mine, let your majesty know that we, the Georgians and the king, will no longer be obedient to your commands, and we will hand over this land to Caesar, who is the Khvantkhar. And they took great gifts and offerings with them. And when those envoys arrived before that lawless king, they reported everything that had been entrusted to the queen and the people of Georgia. And when that mighty king heard it, he thought in his heart: 'If we do not give this child, the Georgians might indeed abandon me and turn to the support of Caesar, and this matter would become hostile to me.' Then the king heeded their words and released that child and gave him to the queen. Thus was the providence of God and the faith preserved unshaken. That child came forth.

Some magicians were with him from among the lords of Kakheti, and also one elder whose name was Adarnase. And thus the child was being raised, and they brought him forth and arrived in this land. And his mother met him with the bishop, the lords, and the nobles, and there was thanksgiving and glory to God for the deliverance of that child from the hands of the Saracens. And he was fifteen or sixteen years old, and from that time his mother placed into his hands all the royal possessions: the fortresses and the treasures. And they blessed that child, and the Catholicos of Mtskheta offered a prayer together with all the bishops, and they set him up as king. And his mother said to that son: "My child, until now I have acted with manly deeds until the turmoil and disturbance of this kingdom subsided. Now, by the will and intention of God, your kingship has been established, and God has not disregarded the prayers and supplications of this sinful servant of His. And my request before Him was this: may the blessing of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob be upon your head. Receive as the beginning of wisdom the fear of the Lord, humility, righteousness, mercy, and truth—may these never be lacking in you. But from now on I shall sit in quietness, as befits women, and I shall take my rest.

From that time onward, "Shall I care for my own soul, either by building churches or by giving to the poor?"—which indeed the queen also did: she changed all the royal jewels into ecclesiastical service, and showed many and countless benefactions for the poor, as payment and offering to Christ, which she received together with restoration; and she built beautiful altars and gave to the general clergy of her reign, to priests and deacons, so that they might celebrate the liturgy for her year after year, as if for a thousand, or even more; for her sake she also built a *kuderi* in the name of the all-holy, glorious, God-bearing and ever-virgin Mary, and adorned it with eyes and sapphire stones, within and without with marbles, and embellished it with gold and lapis lazuli exceedingly, and far surpassed all her treasures, as Christ said: "Sell your treasures and give them to works of charity, and make for yourselves an inexhaustible price." From that time on, her son Teimuraz continued his reign with his God-loving mother.

prophesied the churches of God, the divine seed of the service of God would be deepened, and the people of Kartli would be strengthened. And as this was happening, the enemy, that jealous one of Christians, the devil, could not endure such peace and tranquility of the churches. For this reason, he armed that perpetual warrior and corrupter of the orders of good peace against Georgia, the king of the Persians, lawless, wicked, bestial, and filled with all impurity, that two-edged sword, the vessel of all machinations of evil, the inventor of all cunning, King Shah-Abbas, for at that time he was also at leisure, because the Caesar was weakened. For this reason, with the assistance of his father the devil, he devised, as the Lord said to the Jews: "You are of your father the devil, and you desire to fulfill the desires of your father, for from the beginning he was a murderer of men, and he did not abide by the truth, and truth is not with him," and what follows this.

And he set out with great pomp and with a very numerous army out of envy for the king of the Kakhetians, Teimuraz, in order to destroy and demolish the churches and to uproot the seed of the service of God, for he had heard of the true faith and orthodox confession of the Holy Trinity of the king and of the entire people of Georgia. For this reason, moreover, with diabolical envy, that evil king of the Persians, similar to Julian or Diocletian, and like them a persecutor and destroyer of Christianity, was inflamed. Then King Teimuraz heard all these tidings and sent throughout his entire dominion his herald, and gathered together all the multitude of his army, with bishops, princes, nobles, and commoners. They came before King Teimuraz and, as was fitting, thus did obeisance, and whatever the king desired, they all confirmed with sincerity of heart and swore with an oath their loyalty to him. That lawless king came to the land of Ganja and sent messengers before King Teimuraz and had them declare thus: "Since I have arrived in this land, it is also fitting for you to come to us and to do obeisance before us, as is the custom of the younger toward the elder.

The lawless king desired to seize him by deceit, or to kill him with the sword, or to burn this God-loving king with fire. This one also knew the machination of that evil man and did not trust their plan, but summoned his nobles and commanded them: "I am prepared to be slain by those lawless Saracens, like the martyr Nestor upon Leo, for if God is on our side, who can do us any harm?" After this he brought forth a letter and the enumeration of that lawless king and made it known among all. All who were present heard that command full of machinations and evil deceit; fear and trembling seized all those standing there, and some were considering the matter of battle and their plan, for it was not good and true. At this, this faithful king, like Constantine or Theodosius, was grieved and fell into great anxiety of his own thoughts, and could find no means of consolation for them. The nobles of Kakheti recalled: "Since we are unable to wage war against him, let us find some pretext for peace with them: let us send Queen Ketevan and take with us your son Alexander, and let him go before him and deliver us from the face of that evil beast.

The king was grieved at this their word, and his heart was troubled, and his eyes filled with tears, and with bitter lamentation and great weeping he related all this to his mother. Then Queen Ketavan was also grieved, and she too began to weep and spoke thus: "My beloved child and light of my eyes, many times have I saved this land of Kakheti with my motherly weakness. If I also go, that lawless king will not consent to peace with us, for he is unyielding." Then all the people together raised their voice in lamentation and said: "Save us, save us, O Queen, from that evil beast, the destroyer." Then she prepared herself and set out with great sorrow and weeping. And the king and Queen Khuarashan, daughter of the king of the Georgians, and all the nobles of Kakheti bade her farewell, for great lamentations and sorrows were accomplished at that time, and many tears were shed, and that day resembled the weeping of Rachel or the lamentation of Jeremiah. And she set out, seized with such sorrow, accompanied by her grandson Alexander, and arrived where that vile one was encamped.

And this news of the departure of the queen reached that lawless king, and he rejoiced with great joy, and at that same time he brought her before him together with her son. That lawless king arose and went out to meet her, and with joy he brought her into that royal palace, and they sat down, and he spoke to them and said: "Why did your son King Teimuraz not come and make peace between us and him, for we are so desirous that he should come and see us and be under our obedience, or else send us his son again before us?" Then this God-loving queen perceived his deceit and the cunning of his heart. Seized with sorrow, she wrote to her son, King Teimuraz, all these things she had seen and the command of that lawless king. And this news came before the king, and he became very sorrowful over this matter, but there was nothing else besides this, and he sent his other son Levan as well, and after the seizure of both these his sons, he changed his countenance and his deed from love to hatred and from truth to falsehood, and he was stirred up with uncontrollable anger and wrath, and he seized this wholly blessed queen and condemned her to exile: he sent her far away to the city of Shiraz, and these his sons he tormented with tortures.

And when the holy woman saw her grandsons thus punished, what tongue can express the pains of her heart or the streams of her tears? She tore her hair and rent the skin of her face, and said: "Glory to you, O Christ, King of all, for because of my sins these harsh trials have come." And she said, like Job: "The Lord gave and the Lord took away; blessed be the name of the Lord forever." And with her were a few maidservants and one elder, in the guise of a priest, whom they later punished with fire by some slander. Icons, books, and relics of the saints she had with her for her protection, and she built a small cell for her prayer and spent her time in prayer and supplication day and night before God, whose whole life I have recounted to you. But that lawless king, after the seizure of this holy woman, entered Georgia and tormented her greatly, burning her with hot coals, for the word of the psalm was fulfilled, saying: "O Lord, the pagans entered your sanctuary and defiled your holy temple," and what follows after this. And the king fled from her hands, for he was unable to fight, as I said above; he escaped with a few men and went to the land of Likhtimer.

They set the city on fire, beautiful Kakheti, and destroyed everything, and trampled with filthy feet the holy places, the churches, just as King Khosro did to the city of Jerusalem. And a great calamity befell the land of the Georgians, such as had not occurred from the beginning of the world. And that calamity lasted for fifteen years. And that lawless king came into the land of Kartli, just as he had devastated the men of Kakheti. At that time, King Luarsab, son of King Giorgi, reigned in Kartli, a man valiant and vigorous, more handsome than all the sons of men, but he was still a youth and inexperienced. He had been left by his father, who was God-loving and faithful. And that Persian king greatly flattered him and said under oath: "If you come and submit to me, I will make you my friend and give you all the kingdoms of Georgia, yours and those not yours, for I love you greatly because of your youth, your beauty, and the vigor of your body. For that king of the Kakhetians and his territory I destroyed for this reason, because they were friends of the Caesar, but I have held you as equal to my own self and will make you second to my kingship.

With such words this lawless king deceived him and went with him, as soon as he had seized him, all his desire was fulfilled. And King Luarsab said: "Jesus Christ, you know that I am a child and unlearned, but I know that you are God of all, and for your laws I am ready for death." One day the lawless king was sitting, and that faithful king was sitting during those holy forty days of fasting, and he forced him to eat fish. But he said: "I will not eat during these holy fasts, for it is so ordained, and if I eat fish, you would again force me to eat meat as well during the fasts. Do you not know, O king, that I am a Christian?" And he fled from him. But when it dawned, they seized that beautiful king, the anointed of God, and sent him also to prison in that city of Shiraz. And when that lawless one saw his inflexibility from the faith, he thought in his heart: "If I force him to deny Christ, he will not be fit to partake of my laws." And he sent men into the prison and with a saw they put out the holy one's eyes, and he, crowned with a crown, went before God, adorned with the struggle of martyrdom. And they planned to hide that beautiful holy body of his, lest Christians steal his relics.

On the first of March this divinely crowned King Luarsab was martyred. After this, the lawless one seized the lands of Kartli and Kakheti, and also took Samtskhe from the hands of the Greeks, appointed governors, and departed. But let us return to that first word. That holy martyr of Christ, Queen Ketevan, was in prison, and they secretly gave her and provided her with some kind of *rochiki* for the needs of the household, but she distributed it to the weak and the poor and strengthened the Christians dwelling there who were in need, so that no one would deny Christ. She also had with her some priest, a presbyter, so that when they were helped, she might give them the mystery of Christ; and that holy one was in struggle, lest her departure from the flesh take place in that lawless place, and she prayed to the Lord with tears every day and sent as intercessor and mediator that immaculate Mother of hers, the intercessor and savior of Christians. She gave herself to a strict fast, until the measure of her flesh was consumed; she also made a vow with a terrible oath: if she should escape from their hands, she would go to her own kingdom, renounce the world, take up the cross, become a monk, and dwell with the monks.

But the overseer of all and the best appointer of his own servants would give the lesser seeker the greater, as the Gospel itself commands, saying: "If you, the wicked, know how to give a good gift to your children, how much more does your Father in heaven know how to give to those who ask Him." The Holy Spirit sought to be separated from the body and joined to the company of monks, but the hearer of the petition promised him the separation of the soul from the battles of the soul-destroyer and the joining with the company of angels, the granting of those unutterable goods, and promised him those incorruptible crowns for his patience, which was a manifestation of his love. After this, when some time had passed, the lawless one and the evil ruler, the king, asked: "How is the queen, whom I hold captive in the land of Shiraz, faring and how does she live?" And they reported to him all her good conduct and her unshakable and steadfast standing in the faith of Christ.

The foul one was enraged in spirit and emitted black vapors from his mouth with great distress, confirmed by oath and said: "Either I will remove her from the law of the Crucified, or I will take her out of the world with a bitter death." He had hope of this, that by the nature of women she would become a helper from the torments. And the unclean one did not know that fire, the gleaming love of Christ, was settled within her, nor the faith as firm as adamant, for the foundation of her house was not established on sand, but on that unshakable rock. After this, that lawless one fulfilled his word by deed and sent some men resembling their evil deeds, first sending flattering words: "O queen, I know your honor and propriety and wisdom and courage, and I desire that you be to me a beloved mother, and I be to you a child and obedient to your words, and you govern my palace as you see fit. I will bring back your son to you and lead him to his kingdom and give him his kingdoms, and he shall be a beloved son to me, if you come to my law and become a Muslim, which is called purified.

And if you do not obey my command, I swear by Muhammad, I will not spare your fear and honor, and I will remove you from this life through fierce torments." When those envoys arrived at the place where the holy woman was, they first seized the priest who accompanied the holy woman, and they informed him of all the king's orders. Before the holy woman, they forced that priest to abandon the law of Christ and said to him: "Either choose death, or renounce Christ." But when the priest saw himself in such a trial, he was terrified with bitter fear and renounced Christ, becoming a *saprik* and not a *Nikiphore*. Because of this deed, that saying of the Gospel was fulfilled, which speaks of the sower of the field, that: "When troubles or trials come, they immediately abandon and become fruitless," which happened to this wretched priest. And when those tormentors had accomplished their intention regarding that priest, they made him utter the words of their foul faith; then they sent the priest before the queen and reported to her all the king's command, their own plan, and the judgment. And the priest entered and with bitter tears dared everything before the queen.

When the holy woman heard this, she first rebuked that priest for his renunciation of Christ, for the sake of this vain world, and she raised her eyes to heaven and poured forth streams of tears, and she spoke that word of the prophet Elijah, when Ahab and his wife Jezebel were pursuing him to death: "The prophets have been slain, your altar has been destroyed; I alone remain, and they seek my soul to kill it." When she had said this, she said to that priest: "Go, tell them to come and carry out all their command, for I am ready to die for Christ." When they heard this word, they came before that holy woman and told her everything commanded by the king, and they themselves flattered her and urged her to renounce Christ. But she smiled gently and made the sign of the cross on her face and said with contempt: "What is this vain counsel of yours? Do you urge me to abandon the faith? Does that foul man not know that even children and the unlearned stand against his words? How can you urge me, as if I were inexperienced, to go over to his law, which is full of fables and vain corruptions? Or does he not know that he is unable to shake me by the power of Christ? But he desires even the drinking of my blood, that blood-drinker.

First she destroyed my kingdom and made me an exile from my own, and she destroyed her children spiritually and physically, she ruined the treasures and possessions of the kings and overturned everything. Now she also desires to kill me, so that there might be an increase of bloodshed by my blood for that lawless one, but I beseech God the Creator, that he might avenge everything that was done to us for the sake of his name. She cursed and blasphemed the law and the faith and their Muhammad and his companions. She recited the Creed entirely, each part radiantly, and sealed her entire body with the sign of the cross. She said: "I believe in the Father together with the Son and the Holy Spirit, and the incorruptible Queen, the Mother of the Word of God. In this faith I will die and shed my blood, if Christ so wills. Now whatever you wish, do everything." They heard her speech, the tormentors were amazed and besought her not to sacrifice her soul, but she rebuked and blasphemed them. After this, out of fear of the holy one, they brought skewers and placed them in the fire. But she said to them with a fearless voice: "Wait a little, so that I may pray, and whatever you wish, do everything.

Then they let her go, and the holy one entered that house of prayer, bent her knees, raised her hands, and spoke with tears. She took up the icon of the holy Mother of God, moistened it with tears, and spoke thus: "Lord Jesus Christ, look upon this handmaid of yours on this day, who desires death for the sake of your name. Let not my enemies become hinderers of this good struggle of mine, but as you commanded: 'Whoever comes to me, I will not drive away,' and you promised the confessors, saying: 'Do not fear, for I have given you a mouth and wisdom and the spirit of the Father, which speaks on your behalf.' Now I beseech you, that you not frighten me away from your help; join me also with the confessors for the sake of your name; let your power be the strengthener of these maternal weaknesses, so that your divinity may be glorified and the fighters against your saints be put to shame." She also prayed for her own city and for her son, that after her death he might be granted liberation.

When she had finished all these words, then she brought out the holy mystery, preserved by her in a vessel, something holy, and took it in her hand and said: "Lord Jesus Christ, who redeemed us with your precious blood, now also accept the blood of your sinful handmaiden and receive my soul, and make me a companion of your confessors." She completed everything and went out strengthened by divine power, and sat down before those tormentors, and her face shone like the face of an angel, and she said: "Come and do whatever you wish, for I am ready to endure all torments." The whole city gathered, weeping bitterly, and they said: "What is this deed, or this vision of this terrible spectacle?" The ruler of that city fled outside the city and said: "I will not witness this unjust deed, for whose fault this queen of the Georgians suffers." But that wretched, beautiful one was prepared to be slain for Christ's sake. Those impure tormentors laid hands on her, stripped that holy and precious shining body of hers, and bound her loins, and scourged her, and took pincers and heated them and tore the nipples of her blessed breasts. She lay there like an immovable rock.

Then they tore her arms, but she said: "Lord Jesus Christ, quickly take my soul!" And they cast kindled brimstone upon the blood-flowing flesh of her. Then they brought a heated tile and placed it upon her holy head. Immediately she commended her soul to the Lord. And when that holy and all-blessed martyr of Christ had died and gone before Christ, adorned with a crown of martyrdom, the assembly of that city, seeing the unblemished deposition of that holy, blood-flowing body of hers, all were unable to do anything and wept bitterly, beating their own breasts. No one was able to take up her venerable body for fear of the king. And when that day grew dark, the Lord magnified the martyrdom of his martyr, and a brilliant light came and until dawn was spread over that holy one. All those standing there saw it and glorified God, saying: "This is the true God, for whom this holy queen died.

Then some believing men cast off the fear of the ruler, and when they saw this wondrous miracle, they went and embraced the holy one and anointed themselves with that blood shed for Christ, and with tears they took up her body and buried it in that very oratory built by her, to which her two handmaidens also clung at the feet of the holy one, and they departed. Then in that city there were some from among the heretics, who are Franks, priestly men, and they stole the body of the holy one and carried it away with great reverence and prepared a reliquary for her with very fine perfumes along with many aromatics and placed it upon the altar. Another miracle occurred, for they received that holy martyr for burial, and whoever takes that earth from the grave and whoever is sick is healed. Those with scrofula or dropsy, those seized by some other illness, whether they drink it or anoint themselves, are immediately healed by the command of God and the intercession of the martyr.

After some time had passed, not many, the Creator, Lover of Mankind, and Fulfiller of the prayers of His own, did not disregard the prayer of His martyr. When the holy one had prayed at the time of his struggle for the deliverance of his city and for its return again to his own kingdom, He fulfilled the petition of his martyr. As He Himself commands in the Gospel, "Does not God hear those who cry out, His chosen ones?" By the command of God, the people and nobles of the Georgians withdrew from the king of the Persians, for the power and will of God aided him in that deed. They cut down the *noini* appointed by him and also killed the *spasalar* with a great army. The king of the Persians could no longer rule over them. The Georgians sent men to summon King Teimuraz, that they might entrust to him the kingdoms of Georgia. And they brought him and went out to meet him and set him up as king in Mtskheta, the capital city. They placed the royal crown not only of Kakheti but also of Kartli upon him, and confirmed by oath that they would never again depart from the truth nor betray his kingship.

From that time onward, the glory of his kingship increased through the grace and intercession of his mother, for his city was adorned and beautified with the purple of that blessed one’s blood, and the holy churches were renewed, for which reason power from on high was given to the king and the people of the Georgians. After this, by the wrath of God, the king of the Persians fell ill and departed from life with a grievous affliction, and that treasure of the unclean, his belly, burst and split open, and he was buried in hell. When the Persians became idle, God did not leave those holy relics of the martyr in the hands of the blasphemers; He prompted that priest, the blasphemer of the Franks, to bring as a precious gift some of the relics of his holy mother to her son the king, and he carried away that holy head and the right foot and presented them to the king: the head, so that he might be crowned with the grace of that head; the right foot, so that the all-blessed mother might impel her son to perform righteous deeds in his life. The foot is a symbol, so that it might announce to her son the good swiftness of her struggle and his going to that holy place.

And when the king heard of the bringing of the relic of his mother, he rejoiced with indescribable joy and gathered all the people of Georgia, and Zacharias, the Catholicos of Kakheti, equal to the angels and adorned with all seemliness, the bishops and priests and deacons, clad in lamps, and the king himself and the queen went forth to meet it, as at sunset, with tears and great joy they encountered that holy head of the martyr, and those relics were bathed with tears from all. They prepared a praise for that martyr and a spiritual hymn for glorification with chanting and with incense, and they received it in the great church of Alaverdi of the Great Martyr George, which is the burial place of the kings of Kakheti, and they placed it upon the altar, and they prepared a beautiful feast for that day of the evening, which was made by Solomon of that temple, built by him, which is completed on the eve of the Exaltation of the Cross, for on that day that holy martyr of Christ had been perfected.

After this they sent the chief bishop John, a holy and wise man, and they made a covenant with the king of the Persians, and a great peace was established, and they requested that relic, the holy remains, and with great honor they received them at that place where the other relics were laid. Year by year they go to that feast of the saint; the fragrance of incense is indescribable, and those who go with faith are not deprived of their request, for by the faithful everything is possible. But the life of this blessed one was written down so that the passage of time might not consign this divine and altogether seemly deed to oblivion. It was accomplished in the last times to the glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever unto eternity, amen.