Life of St Nino

tr. Wardrop, 1900

The Raising of the Honourable Cross

When the king and queen, with their children and all the people, were baptized, there stood, on the top of an inaccessible rock, a tree, exceedingly beautiful, and of a sweet smell. It was a wonder-working tree, for beasts wounded by arrows came to it, and when they ate of its leaves, or of the seed fallen to the ground, they were healed, even if they came wounded unto death.

This seemed a great miracle to these sometime pagans, and they told Bishop Ioane about the tree. The bishop said: ‘Lo! in truth, from the beginning this land hath been set apart by God for His service. This tree has been planted by God for this present time, for even now has the grace of God shone forth on Kart’hli; and from this tree shall be made the worshipful cross which all the multitudes of Kart’hli shall worship.’ And Rev, the king’s son, and the bishop, and many of the people went and cut down the tree, and took it, with its branches, and ten times ten men carried it, covered with its branches and leaves, into the town. The people gathered together to see it, because of its greenness and leafiness in the days of summer² when every other tree was dry. Its leaves had not fallen, and it was pleasant to the smell and fair to look upon. They set the tree up on its root, at the southern door of the church, where the breezes wafted abroad its fragrant odour and opened the leaves; the sight of it was beautiful, as we are told that the tree planted in Eden was fair. It was felled on the twenty-fifth of March, on a Friday, and the tree stood there thirty-seven days, and its leaves did not change colour; it was as if it stood from the root to the topmost branch in a stream, until all the trees of the forest were clad in foliage, and the fruit trees were in bloom. Then on the first of May they made the (three) crosses, and on the seventh they raised them, under the protection³ of the king, with rejoicing, and by the will of all the people of the city, who were in the church.

Now all the people of the city saw in all those days that a fiery cross came down from heaven upon it; round about was, as it were, a crown of stars, and the cross of fire rested upon the church until daylight; and when daylight came, two of the stars separated from the others—one went to the east and one to the west, and the brightest went gently towards the place, near the stream, beyond Aragva, and stood on that rocky hill where was the rivulet which had sprung from the tears of St. Nino⁴, and thence it mounted to heaven.

Thus all the people many times saw God’s salvation, and they began to inquire of the blessed Nino, saying: ‘What meaneth this, that shining stars have come forth, and one is gone to the east, even to the mountains of Cakhet’hi, and the other to the west, to the neighbourhood of this city⁵?’ St. Nino answered: ‘When it is seen where they shine on those mountains, there let them erect two crosses to Christ.’ The king did thus, and they watched the highest mountains⁶ one after the other. This happened upon a Friday, and on Saturday at dawn the same miracle happened as before. Next day they went to the west, where they stood on the mountain of Kvabt’ha T’havi (Head of Caves). They told the king how that star came forth from the others, rose, and stood over one spot on Mount T’hkhot’hi⁷, in the pass of Caspi, and then became quite invisible. In the same manner, those sent to the Cakhet’hian Mountains returned and told how they had seen the star move thither, and stand above the village of Budi, in the region of Cakhet’hi⁸.

St. Nino commanded them, saying: ‘Take two of these crosses, and raise one in T’hkhot’hi, where God showed His power, and give one to Salome, the handmaiden of Christ, to be erected in the town of Ujarma⁹. As for the village of Budi in Cakhet’hi, it should not be preferred before the royal city, for there are many people. Budi also shall see the grace of God.’ And they did even as the queen¹⁰ commanded: they raised the wonder-working, holy cross by human hands in Mtzkhet’ha, and they went below that hillock to the stream, where they passed the night praying to God, and the blessed Nino mingled her tears with the brook, and there were cures and great miracles performed.

Next day she and the king, queen, and princes, and a great multitude of people, went up on to the rock and knelt on those stones and wept¹¹, until the mountains re-echoed with their voices. Then St. Nino laid her hand on a stone, and said to the bishop: ‘Come, for it befits thee to bless this stone.’ And he did so, and there they raised the cross to the glory of the king. The countless multitude bent and worshipped the cross, and confessed the Crucified to be the true Son of the living God, and believed in the great triune God. And the great¹² chiefs did not go away from the holy church, the pillar of light and the life-giving cross, for they saw there wonderful miracles and unceasing cures¹³. And on Easter Sunday, King Mirian and all Mtzkhet’ha offered sacrifice. That day they instituted the service of the¹⁴ cross at Easter, which all Kart’hli observes unto this day.

And some time afterwards, after Pentecost, on a Wednesday, they saw a miracle, very wonderful: lo! a pillar of light, in the form of a cross, stood upon the cross¹⁵, and twelve stars in a crown round about; and the cross on the hill gave forth a sweet perfume, and all saw the wonder. Many heathens were converted and baptized that day¹⁶, and the Christians were strengthened in their faith, and glorified God.

They saw another wonder of the cross: how a fire stood upon it, seven¹⁷ times brighter than the sun¹⁸. It rested there like a spark from a furnace, and the angels of God ascended and descended. And the hill on which stood the cross¹⁹ shook very much, and when the miracle ceased the trembling ceased. When the people saw that miracle they were all greatly astonished, and more and more they glorified God. These wonders were performed from year to year, and all the people saw them with fear and trembling, and came to worship devoutly.

In those days, Rev²⁰, the king’s son, had a little son who was sick, and nigh unto death; and it was his only child. He took him and placed him before the holy cross, and with tears entreated it, saying: ‘If thou wilt give me this my child alive, I will build a canopy for thee to dwell in.’ And straightway, in that place, his child was healed, and he led him away sound and restored to life. Then he came to fulfil his vow; and with great joy and zeal Rev, the king’s son²¹, raised the canopy, and from year to year he came and fulfilled his promise of sacrifice; and in consequence of this, sick folk came all the more, and they were cured, and with gladness they glorified the holy cross of Christ.

There was a certain young man who was blind in both eyes. He sat²² down before the cross of Christ, and after seven days he received his sight, and glorified the precious cross.

Then there was a woman always afflicted by evil spirits, which had taken away her mind and strength for eight years; and she rent her clothes. They brought her and laid her before the cross, and after twelve days she was cured, and walked away glorifying God and worshipping the holy cross.

Again, there was a little boy, and he suddenly fell down dead²³. His mother took him and put his dead²³ body before the cross. From morning until eventide she prayed weeping before the cross. Others came unto her and said: ‘Take him away, woman, and bury him, for he is dead; grieve no more.’ She did not lose hope, but wept more and more piteously, and prayed. When evening came, the child was restored to life, and opened his eyes, and after seven²⁴ days his mother led him home cured and revived, and glorified God.

When they saw the miraculous healing power of the holy cross, many childless people came and begged that they might have children, and the request of many was granted; and they offered sacrifice and thanks. And not only those who came thither received healing, but those who from afar entreated the aid of the holy cross also received favour immediately²⁵. And it helped those who were in battle, so that they overcame their foes, and they came quickly to offer thanks.

Many pagans in distress were cured by the cross, and many were baptized, and with gladness glorified God; many kinds of diseases were healed by the power of the honourable cross, many with divers sufferings came to beg healing and were at once cured there, even unto this day²⁶, and they glorified the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, to whom is glory now, always, and for ever.

Notes

A.V. adds ‘written by Jacob’ (the priest). In A.V. Jacob writes in the first person.
All the other MSS. except Kart’hl. Tzkh. read ‘winter,’ which the context shows to be correct.
‘didebit’ha,’ to the glory, is perhaps a mistake for ‘dadebit’ha,’ which is found in MSS., but cf. p. 47, ‘to the glory of the king.’
The brook is called Dzudzus Tsqaro, and there is a small church there.
A.V. ‘to the bounds of thy kingdom.’
A.V. ‘continually for ten days.’
A.V. gives the name of the spot as Qrgvi.
Bodbe in Cakhet’hi, near the town of Kisiq (Signakh), also spelt Bodi and Budi.
Ujarma, formerly a fortified city, residence of the Cakhet’hian kings, now a village, on the river Iora in Cakhet’hi, said to have been built by Saurmag (237-162 B.C.).
A.V. ‘St. Nino’; the saint is often addressed as Queen (v. infra).
A.V. ‘men, women, and children.’
didni, but in A.V. dedani—women.
A.V. adds here: ‘Then St. Nino left the city of Mtzkhet’ha, and went to the mountaineers, to carry the gospel to men in the form of wild beasts, and to cast down their idols. But Abiat’har, the Jewish priest, was left here—he who was a second Paul, who ceaselessly, day and night, preached Christ and His glory, until the flight of the Jews.’
A.V. then begins a new chapter: ‘The Raising of the Honourable Cross in Mtzkhet’ha and the second vision.
‘And when the whole land of Kart’hli was converted to Christianity, the priests who had come from Greece took counsel about the raising of the sign of the cross; and they said to King Mirian: “It is fitting to erect the divine sign of the cross.” And this advice seemed good to the king and to all the people, and joyfully they received the word and teaching of the priests. King Mirian ordered wood for the cross. Carpenters came and cut down a sweet-smelling tree, and the king commanded the cross to be made. The priests taught them the form of the cross; and when it was made, the carpenters came and told King Mirian: “We made it according to what the priests told us.” The king arose joyfully, and all the people saw the form of the cross, and they wondered greatly, and glorified God.
‘At that time the king bethought himself and remembered how that day, when it became dark on the mountain, he saw the light of great brilliancy in the form of a cross. Then he told the priests and all the people of the sight, and how the sign of the cross dispelled the darkness before his eyes. When the people heard the king’s story, more and more firmly they believed on Jesus Christ and in the sign of His cross, and all gladly, of one accord, worshipped it and glorified God. Then the king counselled all the people that they should erect the form of the cross in several places, and commanded that each should be where it seemed right, and not where they chose. At that time King Mirian prayed, saying: “O Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we believe through this captive, and have been taught by these Thy priests— who didst humble Thyself, and in Thy humility didst clothe Thyself in the image of slaves, who didst descend from the blessed bosom of the Father, who didst leave for our sake the throne, majesty, and power, and entered the womb of a Holy Virgin, and then wert crucified by Pontius (Pontoveli) Pilate, buried in the heart of the earth, and on the third day didst rise, fulfilling all that was spoken of by the prophets, ascendedst into heaven, and sittest at the right hand of the Father, and again art to come to judge the quick and the dead—Thou hast left us the sign of Thy cross, for the destruction of the unseen machinations of the enemy; Thou hast miraculously brought us into Thy fear that we might escape from the devil, by whom we were enchained to our ruin. But now, O God, O God our Saviour, vouchsafe to show the place in which the sign of Thy cross shall be set up, that it may be manifest to those who hate us, and that they may be ashamed; for Thou, O Lord, art our helper and our consolation.” And at twilight that night, the angel of the Lord stood, in a vision, before King Mirian, and showed him a hill on the river Aragva, near Mtzkhet’ha, and said to him: “This is the place chosen by God; there shall ye raise the sign of the cross.” And at dawn, King Mirian told the priests of his vision of the angel, and his words, and the hill which he showed him. When they heard of the vision and saw the place, the hill pleased all the people. With rejoicing and songs of praise, all the chiefs took the cross, with one accord, and set it up on the hill near Mtzkhet’ha, towards the east, on Easter Sunday. And when they raised the sign of the cross in the land of Kart’hli, suddenly all the idols in the boundaries of the country were cast down and broken, and the altars destroyed. When they saw this wondrous deed and miracle which had been performed by the power of the sign of the cross, they were yet more astonished, and glorified God, and worshipped the honourable cross gladly.’
A.V. ‘victorious.’
A.V. ‘and twelve angels encircled it as a crown.’
A.V. ‘and they built churches.’
A.V. ‘three.’
A.V. ‘and like a flame it burned on the head of the cross.’
A.V. ‘rejoiced greatly, and all the earth shook; and from mountains, hills, and ravines a sweet-smelling mist arose to heaven, and the rocks crumbled away. And the strong perfume spread over all the land . . . and loud voices were heard, and all the people, perceiving the sound of the songs, were afraid, and marvelled much. With fear and trembling they worshipped the honourable cross, and with great rejoicing glorified God.’
A.V. ‘a God-fearing man.’
A.V. ‘Rev’s son.’
A.V. ‘fell.’
A.V. ‘exhausted.’
A.V. ‘three.’
A.V. ‘If any one called upon the holy cross of Mtzkhet’ha in the stress of battle, the cross immediately became his helper against his enemies.’
A.V. ‘These have been described for the glory of God and of the honourable cross, and that we may all worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, now and for evermore. Amen.’