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Hieromartyr17th century

Hieromartyr Evdemoz Catholicos of Georgia

d. 1642

Also known as Eudemoz of Georgia

Catholicos of Georgia under Persian domination who resisted the apostate ruler Rostom-Khan and was imprisoned and martyred for defending Orthodox Georgia.

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Commemorated as

The Holy Hieromartyr Evdemoz, Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia

Life

Evdemoz, Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia, led the Georgian Orthodox Church during the seventeenth-century reign of King Rostom-Khan (1632–1658), a Georgian who had converted to Islam under Persian domination. Born into the aristocratic Diasamidze family, Evdemoz served as Archbishop of Bodbe from 1617 to 1619 before his elevation to the catholicate in 1632.

Throughout his tenure he defended the Christian consciousness of Georgia against Islamic pressure, confronting the king directly, supporting resistance to Persian influence, and fostering church construction and spiritual literature alongside the devout Queen Mariam Dadiani. After the failure of a 1642 conspiracy to restore King Teimuraz I, Rostom-Khan had him imprisoned and strangled to death in his cell. He is commemorated as a hieromartyr on October 4.

Troparion1 hymnReadHide
TroparionTone 4

By sharing in the ways of the Apostles,
you became a successor to their throne.
Through the practice of virtue, you found the way to divine contemplation, O inspired one of God;
by teaching the word of truth without error, you defended the Faith,
even to the shedding of your blood.
Hieromartyr Evdemoz, entreat Christ God to save our souls.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline4 momentsReadHide
  1. 1617–1619Archbishop of BodbeBefore his elevation to the catholicate, Evdemoz, of the aristocratic Diasamidze family, served as Archbishop of Bodbe.
  2. 1632Appointed Catholicos-PatriarchEvdemoz was appointed catholicos-patriarch of Georgia, at the outset of the reign of King Rostom-Khan (1632–1658).
  3. 1642Conspiracy and arrestAfter a conspiracy to restore King Teimuraz I was betrayed by Korkhmaz Beg, Rostom-Khan had Evdemoz arrested and imprisoned.
  4. 1642MartyrdomRostom-Khan ordered Evdemoz strangled in his prison cell; his body was cast from Nariqala Fortress and later buried by Christians at Anchiskhati Church in Tbilisi.

Contributions & Legacy

3 contributionsReadHide

Historical Context

Evdemoz held the catholicate during a period when Georgia lay under heavy Persian domination. The Shah Abbas I had murdered King Luarsab II of Kartli and driven out King Teimuraz I of Kakheti, and the throne of Kartli passed to Rostom-Khan, a Georgian who had converted to Islam. Rostom sought to accommodate the Christian population—setting a standard salary for the Georgian clergy and even building churches—yet his reign brought moral decline that threatened Georgia's spiritual foundation.

Evdemoz maintained ties to the resistance movement, including through his niece's marriage to Prince David, heir to King Teimuraz I of Kakheti. He confronted Rostom openly, reportedly telling him, 'You are the natural father of the Muslims, but the stepfather of the Christians!' He coordinated military revolts against Persian influence and opposed the practice of raising royal heirs in the shah's court.

Resistance and Martyrdom

Working alongside Queen Mariam Dadiani, his spiritual daughter, Evdemoz sustained Georgia's Christian life through church construction and the promotion of spiritual literature. In 1642 a major conspiracy formed to assassinate Rostom and restore Teimuraz I; the plot drew together several factions, including Zaal of Aragvi, Evdemoz himself, Prince Revaz Baratashvili, and Korkhmaz Beg, with support from the western Georgian rulers Alexander III of Imereti and Kaikhosro I Gurieli. The plan called for Teimuraz to enter Kartli from the east toward Tbilisi while a usurper was proclaimed.

Korkhmaz Beg betrayed the conspiracy at the decisive moment, warning Rostom and allowing him to escape to Gori. The king responded with severe reprisals: conspirators were blinded, executed, or imprisoned, and extensive lands were confiscated. Evdemoz was arrested in 1642 and initially sentenced to imprisonment as Rostom hoped to break his resolve, but the catholicos only intensified his criticism and called upon the people to rebel. Rostom-Khan then ordered him strangled to death in his prison cell.

Relics & Shrines

As a further insult, Evdemoz's body was cast off the Nariqala Fortress in Tbilisi in the direction of the Turkish baths. Christians secretly retrieved his remains that night and buried him in the northwest corner of the Anchiskhati Church in Tbilisi.

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints