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Hierarch9th century

Saint Ephraim the Great of Atsquri

9th century

Also known as Eprem of Atsquri · Ephraim of Atsquri

A disciple of Saint Grigol of Khandzta, he was consecrated bishop of Atsquri and administered the diocese for forty years. He labored for the autocephaly of the Georgian Church and was endowed with gifts of prophecy, wonderworking, and healing.

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Commemorated as

Our Father among the Saints Ephraim the Great, Bishop of Atsquri

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Healing

Life

Ephraim the Great was a Georgian hierarch of the ninth century, a disciple of Saint Grigol of Khandzta, who was consecrated bishop of Atsquri and administered that diocese for forty years. He labored for the independence of the Georgian Church and is honored as one of the most significant Georgian churchmen of his age, endowed by tradition with the gifts of prophecy, wonderworking, and healing. His principal feast is kept on April 28 in the Georgian Church, while the OCA commemorates him on April 15.

Formed in the monastic revival of Tao-Klarjeti under Grigol of Khandzta, Ephraim is remembered above all for advancing the autocephalous standing of the Georgian Church, securing a blessing from Antioch for the preparation of holy chrism (myron) at Mtskheta. By tradition his relics continued to heal those who came to them.

Troparion1 hymnReadHide
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 Ephraim,
entreat Christ our God
that our souls may be saved.

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

Timeline3 momentsReadHide
  1. 9th centuryDiscipleship under Grigol of KhandztaEphraim was a disciple of Saint Grigol of Khandzta, the leading figure of the ninth-century Georgian monastic revival in the region of Tao-Klarjeti.
  2. 9th centuryConsecration as Bishop of AtsquriEphraim was consecrated bishop of Atsquri and governed the diocese for forty years, becoming one of the foremost churchmen of Georgia in the eighth and ninth centuries.
  3. 9th centuryLabor for the Georgian Church's independenceHe worked to strengthen the autocephalous standing of the Georgian Church, securing from Antioch a blessing for the Church of Georgia to prepare its own holy chrism at Mtskheta.

Contributions & Legacy

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Life and Episcopate

Ephraim was a Georgian hierarch of the ninth century and one of the most important figures of the Georgian Church in the eighth and ninth centuries. He was a disciple of Saint Grigol of Khandzta (759-861), the central figure of the Georgian monastic revival that flourished in the region of Tao-Klarjeti and produced a network of monasteries devoted to strict ascetic discipline and to the copying of manuscripts. From this milieu Ephraim was raised to the episcopate, being consecrated bishop of Atsquri, a see he administered for forty years.

Work for the Georgian Church

Ephraim is chiefly remembered for advancing the independence of the Georgian Church. The tradition records that he obtained from the Church of Antioch a blessing for Georgia to prepare its own holy chrism (myron) at Mtskheta, the ancient ecclesiastical center of the country — a mark of autocephalous standing. He is described as endowed with the gifts of prophecy, wonderworking, and healing, and by tradition his relics continued to bring healing to those who venerated them.

Veneration

Ephraim's principal feast is observed on April 28 in the Georgian Church; the Orthodox Church in America commemorates him on April 15. He is counted among the great hierarchs of the Georgian tradition.

Family1 relativeShowHide
Kinsman of Arsenius by tradition; the brothers of Ulompo, ascetics of the same ninth-century Georgian circle.
Saints Michael and Arseniusof Ulompo
Companions2 figuresShowHide
His teacher, leader of the ninth-century Georgian monastic revival
Venerable Gregoryof Khandzta
Fellow disciple: formed in the same ninth-century Khandzta monastic revival of the Georgian Church
Saint Arsenius the GreatCatholicos of Georgia
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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints