c. 440 – 475
A Christian noblewoman and wife of Prince Varsken who refused to follow his apostasy and suffered imprisonment and abuse for Christ.
The Holy Martyr Susanna (Shushanik), Queen of Georgia
Susanna, known in Georgian as Shushanik, was a fifth-century noblewoman of the Caucasus venerated as a martyr and passion-bearer. The daughter of the Armenian commander Vardan Mamikonian, she was raised in a devout Christian household and married Varsken, a regional ruler associated with Hereti and Gogarene who held authority as a vassal under the Persian-aligned order of the day.
Her husband, drawn to the Persian court, renounced Christianity and embraced the Zoroastrian fire religion, then pressed his wife to follow him into apostasy. Susanna refused, and for that refusal she endured years of confinement and ill-treatment before her death around 475. Her steadfastness was recorded by an eyewitness, making her story not only an account of martyrdom but also the foundation of written Georgian literature.
Your holy martyr Susanna, O Lord,
through her sufferings has received an incorruptible crown from You, our God.
For having Your strength, she laid low her adversaries,
and shattered the powerless boldness of demons.
Through her intercessions, save our souls!
Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).
(Podoben: “You sought the heights...”) You appeared as a bright star announcing Christ with your radiance,
which is repulsive to this world, O Martyr Susanna;
extinguishing the allure of false gods,
you enlighten the faithful,
always interceding for us all.
Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).
According to the account preserved of her life, Susanna spent roughly six years in captivity after refusing to share in her husband's apostasy. The sources relate that during this confinement she continued to aid the poor who came to her.
By tradition the synaxarion further reports that through her prayers the sick were healed and children were granted to the childless during the years of her imprisonment.
In the year 578, with the blessing of Catholicos Kirion I, the holy relics of Susanna were translated to Tbilisi. They are kept, according to the tradition, in the Metekhi Church of the Most Holy Theotokos in the city.
Susanna's life was recorded by her confessor Iakob (Yakov) of Tsurtavi, a contemporary and participant in the events, who composed The Martyrdom of the Holy Queen Shushanik. This work is regarded as the earliest surviving piece of original Georgian literature, written within a few years of her death.
The text survives in eleven manuscripts, the earliest being a tenth-century codex, and saw its first printed edition in 1882. In 1979 the 1,500th anniversary of her martyrdom was internationally commemorated, and the work has been translated into several European languages. Beyond the Georgian Church she is also venerated within the Armenian tradition.
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