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Life of St Nino

tr. Wardrop, 1900

Passage Relating to Nino in the MS. Entitled ‘The Conversion of Georgia’ (Moktzevai…

. . . Ten years after [the adoption of Christianity by Constantine], Elene went to Jerusalem to seek the honourable cross; and in the fourteenth year, a certain woman, Evadagi¹, by name Rip’hsime, fled from the king, for some reason, with her foster-mother. And there was with her a certain beautiful captive woman called Nino, of whom Queen Elene inquired concerning her affairs, and she was a Roman princess. She went on her way, performing many miracles of healing, and she arrived in Greece and instructed the Princess Rip’hsime.

When Rip’hsime, Gaine, Nino, and certain others with them, had crossed the sea in flight, they came into the bounds of Somkhit’hi (Armenia), the realm of King T’hrdat, and were martyred there. But Nino escaped; and, crossing the mountains to the northward, came to the river Mtcuari (Kura). She followed it and came to Mtzkhet’ha, a great city, the royal residence. She was there three years, praying secretly in a place covered with bramble bushes. She made a cross of vine-stems, and tarried there and prayed. And that place was without the walls. In the place where the brambles were the altar of the Upper Church (Zemo ecclesia) now stands.

In the fourth year she began to preach the God Christ and His faith, saying that ‘this land of the north was found in error.’ In the sixth year she caused the king’s wife, Nana, to believe, she being sick, and in the seventh year the king was converted to Christ by a miracle. Immediately he built the Lower Church in the royal garden, the erection of which he himself directed.

When they had built the church, he sent an ambassador, and a letter from Nino, to Constantine, king of Greece, asking for priests; they came quickly. The king sent Bishop Ioane, two priests, a deacon, a letter from Queen Elene, an icon of the Saviour, and the wood of life for Nino. When they arrived, King Mirean, the queen, and all their household received baptism. They asked for a tree that they might make a cross. . . .²

³[Then the king commanded Abiat’har, and many Jews with him, to come before him; and he inquired of them concerning the tunic, and they told him all that is written above. And King Mirian raised his hands, saying: ‘Blessed art Thou, O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, for] Thou wishest to save us and deliver us from the devil and his dark place, since Thy garment was brought by these Hebrews from the holy city Jerusalem to this city of a strange race, for our fathers ruled in this city at Thy crucifixion.’ And the king and all Kart’hli betook themselves right speedily to Christianity.

Then the blessed woman Nino said: ‘Blessed is God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who sent His holy Word from high heaven, Himself coming from His throne of might, to lowly earth; without doubt born in a body, of the seed of David, born of a woman alone, holy and pure, who was pleasing to Him; and thus He took upon Him our life. He enlightened every being beneath the heavens, and they more readily became believers in Him because He was born as a man. He was worshipped as God; He was baptized, as a servant of the law, with water and with earth. He witnessed for, and glorified the Father and the Holy Ghost on high; He was crucified, buried, and rose again. He mounted into the heights to His Father, and is to come again with glory. To Him praise is fitting. Amen.’

When she had spoken thus, she took with her Jacob the priest, who had come from Greece, and an erist’hav, and went away to Tsoben, and called the Mt’heulians, Dchart’halians, P’hkhovians, and Tsilcanians, and preached the faith of Christ; but they would not receive it. The erist’hav raised his sword a little, and with fear they gave up their idols to be broken. They passed to Ertsu⁴, and tarried in Zhalet’hi, in the village of Edem, and baptized the Ertsu-T’hianians. And the Quarians heard this, and fled to T’hoshet’hi, but were at last subdued, King T’hrdat⁵ baptizing them.

And she became frail, and set out for Mtzkhet’ha. And when she arrived in Ctoet’ha, in the village which is called Bodini, she could go no farther. And there came forth from the city of Uzharma, Rev, the king’s son, and Salomé, his wife, and his daughter, to watch over her. The king and his wife, Nana, sent Iovane, the archbishop, to see her and bring her back. But she did not wish to go⁶, and entreated that after him Jacob the priest should be appointed. And she gave to him the letter written by Queen Helene, who wrote to Nino as queen, apostle, and evangelist. She gave the wood of life to Queen Nana. And Iovane gave Nino of the body and blood of Christ, and she took the provision for her soul’s journey, and committed her spirit into the hands of God, in the fifteenth year from her arrival in Kart’hli, from the ascension of Christ three hundred and thirty-eight years, from the beginning five thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight⁷.

Then the two cities, Mtzkhet’ha and Uzharma, and all the land of Kart’hli grieved because of her death. They came and buried her body, clad with power, in that place, even in Budi, a village of Ckhoet’hi. King Mirean and all the people went and built the Upper Church (Zemo ecclesia) of stone. Four years passed, and King Mirean died, and was buried on the north side of the central southern column. In that column is a piece of the pillar of life. In the second year Queen Nana died, and was buried to the west of the same pillar as King Mirean.

And Bacur, the son of Rev⁸, was appointed king; and Bishop Iovane died, and the priest Jacob, who had come from the same place, was appointed archbishop.

Twenty-three years from the raising of the honourable cross, Rev made a canopy and a tomb in the Lower Church (Kvemo ecclesia). And Rev died⁹, and was buried with his wife. In the tenth year after this, Bacur began to build the church of Tsilcani, and thirty-five years afterwards he died, and was buried in the Lower Church. . . .

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