Life of St Nino

tr. Wardrop, 1900

Words of the Same (Sidonia) Concerning the Building of the Church

The people quickly adopted Christianity. Before the priests came, the king said to St. Nino: ‘I will hasten to build a house of God. Where shall it be built?’ Nino said: ‘Wherever the prince² wishes.’ The king replied: ‘I like this thy bush, and there would it please me. But if it may not be there, let it be in the royal garden by the tall cedar among fruitful branches and sweet-scented flowers [³according to the vision which thou didst see, of black-feathered birds bathing in the waters, so that they became dazzlingly white, and, seating themselves in the trees, poured forth their sweet voices]. Truly this transitory garden will bring us to eternal life. There shall we build a house of God⁴ for prayer, before the coming of the priests from Greece.’

Quickly he took wood, and instructed the carpenters. And they cut down the cedar, and from it prepared⁵ seven pillars for the church. When they had built the wooden wall, they set up the pillars one by one. The biggest pillar, which was wonderful to look upon, was ready to be placed in the midst of the church, but they could not raise it. The king was informed of the miracle, how they could not move the column into its place. Then the king came with many people, and they used very powerful machines, and great force, and all the people tried by many means to raise it, but they could not. The king and all the people were astonished, and said: ‘What can this be?’ And when evening came, the king went home very sad.

St. Nino and twelve women of her disciples tarried by the pillar and wept. And at midnight those two mountains—Armaz and Zaden—fell, as if they had been broken off, and they stopped the rivers. The Mtevari (Kura) rushed down and carried away the town, and there was a terrible sound of weeping and lamentation. The Aragva also descended upon the fortress, and there were fearful noises. The women were afraid and fled, but the blessed Nino cried aloud: ‘Fear not, my sisters; the mountains stand there, and all the people are asleep. This destruction of the mountains is but a symbol, for the mountains of paganism are cast down in Kart’hli, and the rivers which are stopped are the blood of the children sacrificed to their idols⁶, which now will cease. The voice of lamentation is that of many devils, mourning because they are driven from their places by the power from on high and by the Cross of Christ. Turn back, therefore, and pray to God.’ And suddenly the sounds ceased, and there was nothing.

St. Nino arose and stretched forth her hands and prayed to God, saying: ‘May this matter not be hindered, which the king is engaged upon.’ Again, before the cock crew, a powerful army appeared with terrible noise at the three gates of the city. They broke the gates in pieces, and the town was filled with Persian soldiers. There arose horror-inspiring cries and shrieks, and there was slaughter and shedding of blood everywhere. There was great wailing, and clashing of swords, and at this fearful sight our bodies became faint and our souls lost courage; and there was much weeping for our kinsfolk. Suddenly there was heard a loud cry: ‘Khuara, king of the Persians, and Khuarankhuasra⁷, king of kings, command that every Jew be given to the edge of the sword.’ When I heard this and understood it, I and the ten⁸ who were with me were filled with doubts, and the swordsmen were approaching nearer, and round about us they killed and slew. Then a mighty voice was heard, saying: ‘King Mirian has been captured.’ Our saving guide looked round and said: ‘I know what that cry is which now causes so much grief. Let us thank God. This is a sign of their destruction, of the life of Kart’hli and the glory of this place.’ Our wise leader consoled us, she was in truth our leader and blessed apostle.

She (Nino) turned to one of the army, and said: ‘Where are the kings Khuara and Khuarankhuasra? Yesterday ye came forth from Sabastan; how are ye arrived so quickly? Ye are a great host and mighty; why have ye destroyed this city and given it to the sword? Go with the winds and breezes to the mountains and rocks of the North, for behold He cometh from whom ye flee.’ She stretched forth her hands and made the sign of the cross, and suddenly it all became invisible, and there was a great calm. The women⁹ blessed Nino and glorified God.

When dawn was drawing nigh, the women fell asleep, but I, Sidonia, was awake, and she stood with upraised hands. Behold, a youth stood there, adorned in brilliant light, shrouded in fire; and he spoke some words. She fell on her face, and the youth put his hand to the column and raised it, and it stood up. And I, Sidonia, was astonished, and said: ‘O queen, what is this?’ She answered: ‘Bend thy head to the earth’; and she began to weep. A little while afterwards, she and I arose and went from that place. And the women who were without also saw the column¹⁰. And it was as if fire came down; and it (the column) approached its own place, and stood twelve cubits away from the earth, and gently, by degrees, settled above the place cut out for it at the root of the cedar.

At daylight the king arose, heavy hearted with care, looked at the garden and the newly commenced church of which he thought so much. He saw a light, like a flash of lightning, rising to heaven from his garden. He began to run, and quickly came there, and all the multitude of his household and all the people of the town came, for they too saw the miracle. The column, shining with light, came down into its place, as if from heaven, and stood firm in its place, untouched by the hands of man. Happy the time when this happened! The city of Mtzkhet’ha was filled with fear and joy, and shed rivers of tears. The king and princes and all the people with deep sighs glorified God, and blessed St. Nino, and great miracles were done that day.

¹¹First there came a Jew, blind from his birth. He approached the divinely raised column and immediately received his sight, and glorified God.

Then there was Amzaspani¹², a youth of the court, who had been bedridden for eight years. His mother brought him in faith, and placed his couch before the pillar of light, entreating Nino: ‘Look upon this my son who is nigh unto death; for I know that the God whom thou servest and preachest unto us is God.’ Nino touched the column, and placed her hand upon the lad, saying: ‘Dost thou believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, come in the flesh to give life to all the world¹³? . . . Be cured through Him, and praise Him whose power heals thee.’ Straightway the youth arose whole, and great fear seized the king and all the people. All kinds of sick came and were healed, until the king put a covering of wood round the column and hid it from sight, and even then the people touched the covering and were cured. The king quickly set about the completion of the church in the royal garden.

¹⁴When King Mirian’s ambassadors arrived before King Constantine and told him what had happened, the king and his mother, Queen Elene, were filled with gladness: first, because the grace of God was shining into all places, and by their hands all Kart’hli would be baptized; and then they rejoiced because they believed that the Persians would be destroyed by King Mirian; and they received them with love. They praised and thanked God, and sent the true priest Ioane the bishop, and with him two priests and three deacons. King Constantine wrote a letter of prayer and blessing to Mirian, thanking God, and sent him a cross, an icon of the Saviour, and many gifts. Queen Elene wrote a letter of praise and comfort to Nino. The bishop, priests, and ambassadors arrived at Mtzkhet’ha. The king and all the people were filled with joy, for they longed to be baptized. Then Mirian immediately sent forth a command that all the erist’havs (governors of provinces), spasalars (generals), and all the persons in his kingdom should be called before him; and they all came in great haste to the town.

The king was baptized under the hand of St. Nino, and, afterwards, the queen and their children under the hands of the priests and deacons. They blessed the river Mtevari (Kura), and the bishop prepared a place near the gate of the bridge of the Magicians, where was the house of Elioz the priest, and there the illustrious people were baptized, and they called that spot Mt’havart’h Sanat’hlo (the place of baptism of the princes). Lower down on the same river, in two places, the two priests and the deacons baptized the people. The people struggled one with another; quickly they entreated the monks, each to be first baptized, so strong was their desire to be baptized, for they had heard the preaching of Nino, how she had said: ‘None who are not baptized will find that light eternal.’ Therefore they were all in great haste to be baptized. So they all received baptism, and the majority in Kart’hli, except the Mt’hiulians (mountaineers) of Caucasus; the light was shed upon them, but they lay obstinately in darkness for some time. There were the Jews of Mtzkhet’ha, also, who were not baptized, except the Cabrabians¹⁵, of whom were baptized fifty souls, and they became true Christians; for this they became great before the king, and he gave them a village which they call Tzikhe didi (the great stronghold). P’heroz, the son-in-law of King Mirian, did not receive baptism, nor his people, but they were obedient to King Mirian’s temporal power.

Then King Mirian sent Bishop Ioane, and men of power with him, to King Constantine, and begged for a piece of the wood of life which at that time had appeared to the servant and lover of Christ, Queen Elene. He also asked that many priests might be sent into all the towns and places to baptize the people, so that soon every soul in Kart’hli might be baptized; he also asked for masons to build churches. When they arrived before the Emperor Constantine, he gave them gladly of the wood of life: those beams to which the feet of the Lord were nailed, and the nails for the hands. He sent also priests and many masons.

King Constantine built in his kingdom a holy church, a holy temple, and gave very great treasure to Bishop Ioane, and commanded that wherever he first came in Kart’hli, there they should build churches in his name, that this gift might be possessed in the bounds of Kart’hli. The bishop went away, and with him the ambassadors. When they arrived at the place which is called Erushet’hi¹⁶, the carpenters stopped there to build the church; they put the treasure there, and the nails by which the Lord’s hands were pierced. Then they went on and came to Manglis¹⁷ and began to build a church, and there they placed the beams to which the Lord’s feet were nailed. And King Mirian was displeased that they did not come first to the royal city, but had begun to build churches in other towns and places, and had left the relics there. But St. Nino came to him and said: ‘O king, be not angry; for wherever they go they spread abroad the name of God; and in this city is there not the glorious garment of the Lord?’

The king took Abiat’har and many Jews with him, and inquired of them concerning the tunic; and they told him all that which is written above. Then King Mirian raised his hand, and said: ‘Blessed art Thou, O Jesus, Son of the living God; for from the beginning Thou didst desire to deliver us from the devil and the dark place. Therefore was Thy holy garment brought from Thy holy city Jerusalem by those Hebrews, deniers of Thy divinity, and of a race unknown to us.’

The king and all the city went forward firmly in Christianity. The carpenters began to build a church on the outskirts of the city, on the dwelling of St. Nino, where the bramble was, and where now is the bishop’s church. And St. Nino said: ‘Blessed is our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Father of our Lord, who hath sent down His holy Word from the high heavens, even from His mighty throne, that He might descend to the base earth, born indeed of the seed of David, of a virgin pure and holy; for it was agreeable to Him to give life to us. He hath enlightened all beneath the heavens, so that they might become believers. He was born as man, He, the Light of all, the Image of God; and, as a servant of the law, He was baptized with water and with the Spirit; He was crucified and buried, and rose the third day, ascended into heaven unto His Father, and again He cometh with glory. Unto whom is fitting all glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now, always, and for ever.’

Notes

A.V. does not make this a separate chapter.
A.V. ‘king.’
A.V. omits this passage about Nino’s vision.
A.V. adds: ‘which will stand for ever.’
A.V. ‘a pillar, and on its roots they laid the foundation of the church.’
A.V. ‘to their evil spirits.’
A.V. ‘Khuarankhuara.’
? Probably the meaning is that some Judas had meantime deserted St. Nino.
A.V. ‘sisters.’
A.V. ‘And the women were outside, and behold I saw the column.’
A.V. begins a new chapter.
A.V. does not give the youth’s name.
A.V. inserts: ‘And the youth replied: “Yes, queen, I believe in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of creatures.” Then said Nino:’.
A.V. omits to the end of the chapter, only saying: ‘Then came the ambassadors from Greece with the chief of the priests, priests and deacons, and began to baptize, as is written above.’
Kart’hl. Tzkh. ‘Barabians.’ Said to be descendants of Barabbas.
Erushet’hi was a district, with a river of the same name, at the head waters of the Kura. The village or fortress of Erushet’hi is close to Nakalakevi, ‘où était une ville, aujourd’hui simple bourg. Là fut bâtie une belle église à coupole, par un envoyé du grand Constantin, aux frais de l’empereur.’ Wakhoucht, Descr. géogr. p. 105; Bergé and Bakradze, Zapiski, p. 110; Hist. de la Géorgie, t. i. pp. 121, 195. At Cumurdo, still nearer the source of the Kura, is another church said to have been built by Constantine’s envoys. Bergé and Bakradze, Zap. p. 85; Wakhoucht, pp. 99, 101, 103; Brosset, Voy. archéol. II Rapp. p. 166, IV Rapp. p. 6.
Manglis church is about twenty-five miles west of Tiflis. Vide Bergé and Bakradze, p. 93; Wakhoucht, Descr. géogr. p. 171.—‘Cette église n’a jamais été ruinée. Au midi de la voûte est représenté Mahomet sur un lion; on dit que c’est pour cela que les musulmans l’ont respectée.’