Saint Holy Martyrs Shio the New, David, Gabriel, and Paul
of Gareji.
Also known as Martyrs Shio, David, Gabriel, and Paul of Gareji, Shio the New of Gareji, Davit, Gabriel, and Pavle of Gareji, Synaxis of the Holy Martyrs of Georgia, Martyrs of Gareji, Martyrs of David Gareji Monastery
Monk-martyrs Shio the New, David, Gabriel, and Paul were slain by Dagestani raiders at the David Gareji monastery in eastern Georgia around 1696. The Georgian Church and OCA commemorate them on June 1 (Julian).
- Born
- Vedzisi, Kartli, Georgia
- Fell asleep
- 1696
- Feast day
- June 1 (New) · June 14 (Old)
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Troparion of St. Holy Martyrs Shio the New, David, Gabriel, and Paul of Gareji
Tone 4
Your holy martyrs, O Lord, through their sufferings have received incorruptible crowns from You, our God.
For having Your strength, they laid low their adversaries,
and shattered the powerless boldness of demons.
Through their intercessions, save our souls!
The life of St. Holy Martyrs Shio the New, David, Gabriel, and Paul of Gareji Monks Who
Gave Their Lives in the Gareji Desert
Shio the New was a young Georgian who left a family torn by inheritance violence to seek a life of prayer at David Gareji. He, David, Gabriel, and Paul were killed together by raiders around 1696 and are remembered as monk-martyrs of Georgia.
Early years
Shio the New was born in or near Vedzisi, a village in the Kartli region of Georgia, to a wealthy and influential family. His parents, Papuna and Tamar, raised eight children, five sons and three daughters. After the parents died, the brothers fought over the inheritance, and the eldest brother killed the youngest. This tragedy turned Shio away from worldly ambition.
Shio disclosed his desire for the monastic life to his spiritual father, who directed him to the David Gareji monastery to be tonsured. The brothers there regarded him as a model of faith and chastity even before he took the habit.
In the Church
At David Gareji, Abbot Onopre Machutadze welcomed Shio warmly, assigned him a cell, and clothed him as a novice. Shio's conduct, humility, and devotion to his brethren brought many to seek his counsel, and Onopre often entrusted him with the affairs of the monastery during his absences. Shio later served as a hieromonk, which is why he is named as the leader of the group.
The other three martyrs, David, Gabriel, and Paul, are venerated as monks of the same brotherhood. The sources consulted do not describe their individual ecclesiastical roles in detail.
Later years
On the night of the raid, Onopre had left the monastery and Shio was in charge. After Vespers and a meal, a band of Dagestani raiders stormed the grounds, captured Shio, David, Gabriel, and Paul, and killed them. Monks who tried to flee were also caught and slain. The raiders destroyed much of the monastery's property, cut up clerical vestments, threw them into a well, and smashed the icons.
The raid was part of a longer pattern of attacks on the Gareji wilderness. The sources consulted note that Dagestani raiding continued through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Legacy and veneration
The Georgian Church places the martyrs' commemoration on June 14 of the New Calendar, and the Orthodox Church in America lists them on June 1 with a troparion. Their memory is also included in calendars under the June 1 synaxis of the Holy Martyrs of Georgia.
Their memory is closely tied to the broader spiritual life of David Gareji, which has been an active monastic center since the Soviet period ended and includes monasteries of Saint David, Saint John the Baptist, and Saint Dodo.
Veneration of St. Holy Martyrs Shio the New, David, Gabriel, and Paul of Gareji How the saint's
memory is kept.
- Burial Place of the Martyrs
- After the attack, with the approval of the Catholicos and the king, the martyrs' mutilated remains were buried in the courtyard south of the grave of Saint David of Gareji. The sources consulted do not confirm whether these remains are still kept at that site today.
- Iconography
- No authenticated description of the iconographic depiction of Shio the New, David, Gabriel, and Paul of Gareji was found in the sources consulted, so none is given here.
Frequently asked Questions about
St. Holy Martyrs Shio the New, David, Gabriel, and Paul of Gareji.
- When is the feast day of the Holy Martyrs of Gareji?
- Their commemoration is kept on June 1 in the Julian calendar, which corresponds to June 14 on the New Calendar, according to the Georgian Church and the Orthodox Church in America.
- Who were the Holy Martyrs of Gareji?
- They were the monks Shio the New, David, Gabriel, and Paul of the David Gareji monastery in eastern Georgia. Shio was a hieromonk and the leader of the group.
- How did the Gareji martyrs die?
- Dagestani raiders attacked the monastery at the end of the seventeenth century, captured the four monks, and killed them. Their remains were later buried in the courtyard south of the grave of Saint David of Gareji.
- Where are the relics of the Gareji martyrs today?
- The sources consulted record their burial in the courtyard south of Saint David's grave but do not confirm where their remains are kept today.
- Are the Gareji martyrs canonized saints?
- They are commemorated in Orthodox liturgical calendars as holy martyrs, including by the Georgian Church and the Orthodox Church in America. The sources consulted do not describe the formal process by which they were recognized.
- Is there a troparion for the Holy Martyrs of Gareji?
- Yes. The Orthodox Church in America publishes a Tone 4 troparion for Martyrs Shio, David, Gabriel, and Paul of Akhalkalaki in Georgia, which is included in this record.
Kontakion of St. Holy Martyrs Shio the New, David, Gabriel, and Paul of Gareji
No kontakion specific to Shio the New, David, Gabriel, and Paul of Gareji was found in the sources consulted, so none is reproduced here.
Prayer to St. Holy Martyrs Shio the New, David, Gabriel, and Paul of Gareji
The following invocation is printed by OrthoChristian.com in its article on the Gareji martyrs:
O Venerable Martyrs of Christ, Shio the New, Davit, Gabriel, and Pavle, entreat Christ Jesus, the Illuminator of the world, to have mercy on the children of His Church!
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References and further reading
- oca.orghttps://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2021/06/01/103851-martyrs-shio-david-gabriel-and-paul-of-akhalkalaki-in-georgia
- oca.orghttps://www.oca.org/saints/troparia/2022/06/01/103851-martyrs-shio-david-gabriel-and-paul-of-akhalkalaki-in-georgia
- pravoslavie.ruhttps://pravoslavie.ru/7279.html
- orthochristian.comhttps://orthochristian.com/148526.html
- orthochristian.comhttps://orthochristian.com/7279.html
- orthochristian.comhttps://orthochristian.com/147981.html
- johnsanidopoulos.comhttps://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2018/06/holy-venerable-martyrs-shio-new-david.html
- johnsanidopoulos.comhttps://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2010/04/6000-martyrs-of-st-david-gareji.html
- georgianchurch.cahttps://georgianchurch.ca/lives-of-saints/
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_1_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics)
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gareji_monastery_complex
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteen_Assyrian_Fathers
- holytrinityorthodox.comhttps://www.holytrinityorthodox.com/calendar/index.php?year=2056&today=14&month=6&trp=1&tzo=-8
- oca.orghttps://www.oca.org/saints/lives?q=DAVID
- eurasia.travelhttps://eurasia.travel/georgia/david-gareji/
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_of_Gareji
- pravoslavie.ruhttps://pravoslavie.ru/103517.html
- oca.orghttps://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2022/06/01/103851-martyrs-shio-david-gabriel-and-paul-of-akhalkalaki-in-georgia
- oca.orghttps://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2008/04/26/500-6000-martyrs-of-saint-david-gareji-monastery-georgia
- groups.google.comhttps://groups.google.com/g/alt.religion.christian.east-orthodox/c/CfKjO4hYgKs
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