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SAINT NINO

1685 years ago, in June 1st 313 AD (or May 19th on the Gregorian calendar) Saint Nino came to Georgia (Caucasus) to convert local people to Christianity. This Assyrian girl from Kappadokia was later on to be praised by Georgian Orthodox Church along with Saint Apostles. She died in Georgia, and her grave was saved carefully along with her own Cross from a vine she had tied up with her own hail. In the view of a regular anniversary of Saint Nino's coming to the land of Georgia here is a narrative that the reverend Sulkhan Gudushauri, the head priest of the All Saints monastery was so kind to present for us.

Georgia and its people have come along together with Christian ideas over many centuries, so one can see that this nation would never have been in this world without knowing Christianity. It was Saint Apostle Andrei the First and Simon Cananitt .who brought Christian ideas here a long time ago. It happened in 62 AD. But it was Saint Nino who made a great contribution to its final adoption making a Christian state of Georgia through years of preaching and talking to people. Saint Nino, Assyrian born, was a native resident of Kappadokia. She was said to be a close relative to St. George (in some old manuscript she was his cousin sister). She was the only daughter to her lich and noble parents. Her father was a Roman army chief leader in Kappadokia, and mother was a sister to the Bishop of Jerusalem. Mother raised her child in God fearing trying to instill in her a sense of sympathy for the poor people. When Nino was 12, her parents sold all their possessions and moved to Jerusalem. After they came to the sacred town Nino's father, Zambulon, decided to be a monk. He said fair well to his wife and delivered his only daughter to God's provision, the one who cares for orphans and widows. Then he crossed the Jordan liver where he was far from somebody's reach. So no one ever knew where he went and where he settled. Nino's mother, Susanna, was commissioned by her own brother, the Bishop of Jerusalem to look after the sick men in the House of Mercy near the Church of Our Lord's tomb. Nino was sent to one noble old woman. She lived with her during two straight years. This old woman educated her well-round telling her about Christ's trials in this sacred land. Also tile girl learned about Christ's shroud bought by one Jew, Eliose of Mzkheta, the land to the north of Jerusalem.

Where is that northern land? And where is that shroud now? Asked Nino repeatedly. And the old woman told her that this place, Mzkheta is in the land of Georgians. From that day Nino started to pray to Our Lady and beg her to give her an oppol1unity to come and see this land one day, and to worship the shroud that Our Lord had made for her beloved son. Our Lady heard her prayers and came down to Nino in her dream. She said, "Go to Georgia and teach the Gospel to the local people. You shall receive this blessing, and I shall be your patron". To this Nino said, "How can I be of any service to Our Savior? Me, who I am a poor feeble woman, where can I find so much "Go to Georgia and teach the Gospel to the local people. You shall receive this blessing, and I shall be your patron". To this Nino said, "How can I be of any service to Our Savior? Me who am I, but a poor feeble woman. Where can I find so much will and energy to bring His word to people?" According to ancient manuscripts Our Lady made a cross from a vine, gave it to Nino and said, "Take this Cross and it will protect you from visible and invisible foes".

In the morning Nino woke up and found this cross in her hands. Fears of joy came falling from her eyes. She cut off her long braid and tied up the cross with it. Then she went to see her uncle, the Bishop of Jerusalem. She told him everything, showed him the Cross and pledged before him that she should travel to Georgia. Nino and one noble woman on a pilgrimage to see Christ's tomb in Jerusalem decided to travel to Rome together. Then she had to flee from Rome for fear of persecution on the part of emperor Diocletian. So she reached Armenia on the set with other girls.

Once Nino felt exhausted from many a trip and lay down to sleep on a bare ground. She saw a man in her dream. He gave a letter to her and told her to start for Mzkheta as soon as she was able and handle it to the local ruler. When she woke up, she found this letter in her hand. She made a long and weary journey to Mzkheta, and on the following day she was present at a feast, which was organized by the residents of the place. There Nino saw that the king Mirian and his queen along with the people worshipped an idol. She looked at them with sadness and prayed to God just to make their minds clear. Suddenly a strong wind came to blow along with thunder and lightning. The idol was struck down and the people ran away hastily. Nino thanked God for hearing her prayers and felling the idol. This happened in August 6th on the day of Our Savior. A poor woman in a shed sheltered Nino. The woman labored in the king's vineyard. Soon Nino became popular with the local people and far beyond as a very good healer. She cured people with prayers only. She talked to them of God, Jesus Christ, who actually was crucified for the sake of all people. Her work and steadfastness turned many of them into Christianity. The people she had cured brought her many a present and sent her invitations to come and stay with them in rich houses. But Nino refused to leave her ramshackle house for she had heard in Jerusalem that it was in the vineyard where Christ's shroud had been hidden.

In the old times when Jews were dispersed in many lands afar, several families came to settle in Georgia. The newcomers followed their own customs with dedication and sent selected men to Jerusalem for the Easter every year. There they heard about Jesus Christ. They were told of His miracles and that Pharisees despised Christ and looked for an excuse to murder him. This story moved one old Jewish woman, and when her son Eliose set out for Jerusalem she begged him to avoid joining the unjust persecution of Jesus Christ. When Eliose was in Jerusalem, Christ was crucified. So the man became a witness of Christ's sufferings, and he paid the guards for Jesus Christ's shroud. After he returned home, he found his mother gone. His younger sister Sidonia came out to greet him. When she saw the shroud, she hurried to take it from his hands. Just as she did it, she fell dead at once Sidonia was buried in the vineyard with the shroud for they just could not pull it from her cold hands. Legend has it that a huge tree grew on that burial spot, where Nino liked to come and say her prayers.

After some time the queen fell ill, but the doctors could not help her. She called for Nino, but she refused to come, she wanted to see the queen in her shed. Nino prayed over her day and night so that the queen was cured after all. The queen wondered how Nino did it. She said, "I didn't do it, but Jesus Christ did it". Hearing that the queen decided to be a Christian, too. Nino also cured a relative to the Persian shakh who was a guest of Georgia at the time.

One day the king Mirian went out hunting, and suddenly he was surrounded by darkness. The frightened king called for his friends. However they did not see anything and went on hunting. Then the king was remembered Nino's preaches and turned to look to God. And just as he did it, the darkness slipped away. So he came to believe in God and went for baptizing. Having a word with Nino, the king sent his men to Constantinople to bring the Bishop and priests. The Emperor Constantine who had adopted Christianity by then promptly commissioned Patriarch Estat to travel to Georgia (326 AD). The Patriarch consecrated the land of Georgia and assigned the Bishop.

Nino never liked being praised, so one day she went to live in the mountains and make her prayers for the sake of God there. In the following years she continued her mission in different comers of the land. Saint Nino died at 67 in Kakhetia, Eastern Georgia.

In the place where Saint Nino died and was buried, the king Mirian built a monastery and later a parish Church "Bodbe" was erected. It still operates. The grave of Saint Nino is in- side "Bodbe" monastery, and the Cross-she once had made from the vine and tied up with her braid is now found on display in the Zion Church in Tbilisi.

Sulkhan Gudushauri (Kutaisi, Republic of Georgia)