13th century
A thirteenth-century Georgian monastic, uncle of Catholicos Ekvtime III, who labored with the Georgian fathers at the Iveron Monastery on Mount Athos and was endowed with the gift of prophecy.
Our Venerable Father Basil Ratishvili of Iveron
Basil Ratishvili was a thirteenth-century Georgian monastic and one of the notable churchmen of his era. He was the uncle of Catholicos Ekvtime III and spent his ascetic life among the Georgian fathers of the Iveron Monastery on Mount Athos, the great Georgian foundation on the Holy Mountain. The synaxarion remembers him chiefly for the gift of prophecy attributed to him.
His memory is preserved above all in the account of his confrontation with the Georgian king Demetre, whose violent end he is said to have foretold. After delivering his warning he returned to the Holy Mountain, where he died in peace. The Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates him on April 18.
In you the image was preserved with exactness, O Father,
for taking up your cross, you followed after Christ.
By so doing, you taught us to disregard the flesh, for it passes away,
but to care instead for the soul, since it is immortal.
Therefore, most venerable Father Basil your spirit rejoices with the Angels.
Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).
According to the tradition recorded in the synaxarion, Basil belonged to a family of standing in the Georgian Church; he was the uncle of Catholicos Ekvtime III. He joined the community of Georgian monks at the Iveron Monastery on Mount Athos, the historic center of Georgian monasticism on the Holy Mountain, and lived there as an ascetic. He is remembered as having been endowed with the gift of prophecy.
The synaxarion relates that Basil received a vision in which the Theotokos directed him to censure the rule of King Demetre. Traveling from Athos to Georgia, he was brought before the king and rebuked an unblessed marriage, promising that if the king amended his life he would prosper. When the king and his court disregarded the elder's admonition, Basil is said to have foretold that a violent enemy would kill the king and that his kingdom would be left without refuge, his children scattered and his realm conquered.
The king named in this account is identified with Demetrius II of Georgia (reigned 1270–1289), later surnamed 'the Self-Sacrificer.' A vassal of the Mongol Ilkhanate, Demetrius answered a summons to the court of Arghun Khan despite the warnings of his nobles and was executed there in 1289. The synaxarion concludes that Basil's vision was fulfilled.
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