Cloud of Witnesses
Reviewed entry
Hierarch19th century

Gabriel Bishop of Imereti

1825 – 1896

Also known as Gabriel (Kikodze)

A learned and beloved Georgian bishop of Imereti, a preacher and benefactor of the poor.

January 25New Calendar
Feast Day
February 7Old Calendar
Suggest a correctionContribute
Icon galleryBrowse icons and imagery elsewhere
Commemorated as

Our Father among the Saints Gabriel (Kikodze), Bishop of Imereti

Life

Gabriel (Kikodze), Bishop of Imereti, was a nineteenth-century Georgian hierarch known for his preaching, his pastoral diligence, and his extensive charity toward the poor. He was born on November 15, 1825, in the village of Bachvi, in the Ozurgeti district of Guria in western Georgia, the son of a priest named Maxime Kikodze. He is commemorated on January 25.

After his early studies in Tbilisi, Gabriel was sent to theological schools in Russia, completing his education at the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy, from which he graduated in 1849 with a master's degree. He married and returned to Georgia, where he served in the administration of the Tbilisi Seminary and was ordained to the diaconate and the priesthood. The death of his wife and five children in an epidemic in 1856 turned his life toward monasticism: he was tonsured a monk at the Davit-Gareji Monastery and shortly afterward entered the episcopate.

Consecrated bishop of Gori in 1858, he was transferred to the diocese of Imereti in 1860, where he served until his death in 1896. He was remembered as a tireless preacher who traveled constantly through his diocese, as a benefactor who funded the education and shelter of the young, and as a pastor unwilling to tolerate lawlessness or immorality. He reposed in Kutaisi on January 25, 1896.

Kontakion & Troparion2 hymnsReadHide
KontakionTone 2

(Podoben: “You sought the heights...”) O Hierarch Gabriel, divine thunder, spiritual trumpet,
planter of faith and pruner of heresies, great favorite of the Trinity,
while standing with the Angels before God,
pray unceasingly for us all.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

TroparionTone 4

In truth you were revealed to your flock as a rule of faith,
an image of humility and a teacher of abstinence;
your humility exalted you;
your poverty enriched you.
Hierarch Father Gabriel,
entreat Christ our God
that our souls may be saved.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline7 momentsReadHide
  1. 1825BirthBorn on November 15 in the village of Bachvi in the Ozurgeti district of Guria, western Georgia.
  2. 1849Graduates from the Saint Petersburg Theological AcademyCompletes his theological education in Russia with a master's degree and returns to Georgia.
  3. 1856Death of his familyHis wife and five children die in an epidemic.
  4. 1858Monastic tonsure and consecrationTonsured at Davit-Gareji Monastery, made its abbot, and consecrated bishop of Gori.
  5. 1860Transferred to ImeretiOn July 2 he is transferred to the diocese of Imereti.
  6. 1869Oversight of AbkhazetiThe diocese of Abkhazeti is added to his episcopal responsibilities.
  7. 1896ReposeDies in Kutaisi on January 25.

Contributions & Legacy

4 contributionsReadHide

Early Life and Education

Gabriel was born into a clerical family in Guria, his father Maxime Kikodze being a parish priest. From 1840 to 1845 he studied in Tbilisi, and he continued his theological training at seminaries in Russia, at Pskov and at Saint Petersburg.

He graduated from the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy in 1849 with a master's degree. Returning to Georgia the same year, he was appointed to a leading post in the Tbilisi Seminary and entered married clerical life, being ordained deacon in 1854 and subsequently priest.

Monastic Tonsure and Episcopate

In 1856 an epidemic claimed the lives of his wife and five children. Following this loss he received a blessing to be tonsured a monk at the Davit-Gareji Monastery, where he was made abbot in 1858.

In the same year he was consecrated bishop of Gori, and on July 2, 1860, he was transferred to the diocese of Imereti. In 1869 the diocese of Abkhazeti was also placed under his oversight. He governed the see of Imereti for more than three decades, until his death.

Preaching and Charity

Bishop Gabriel was noted for traveling continually through his diocese to preach and to assist those in need. According to the accounts of his life, he gave generously to widows and orphans, funded the education of young people, and provided them with shelter.

His diaries are said to have recorded the beggars he buried, the destitute he clothed, and the students he supported, and in winter he arranged for firewood and money to be delivered anonymously to families in distress. By the terms of his will his personal possessions were distributed to the poor.

Repose

Gabriel reposed in Kutaisi on January 25, 1896. The accounts of his life relate that all of Georgia mourned his passing for forty-six days, during which his body showed no signs of decay. He is venerated as a saint of the Georgian Orthodox Church and commemorated on January 25.

Related SaintsShowHide

Browse other saints who share his calling and place.

More Teachers81More Georgia139More Writers202More Hierarchs580More Bishops702
Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Jan 25