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| St. Nicholas of Georgia (Feast Day - November 3) |
Saint Nicholas was the author of many church services, but little
else about his life is known. He lived in the second half of the 13th
century, and the last years of his life coincided with the reign of King
Vakhtang III, the son of the holy king Demetre the Devoted.
Saint
Nicholas was one of the greatest hymnographers and spiritual figures of
his time, but few of his works have been preserved. Catholicos Anton I
writes that Nicholas composed numerous canons and services, including a
“Canon of Supplication for Rain.” Saint Nicholas enriched the spiritual
literature of Georgia with his translations as well. Scholars and
historians believe that, as the greatest liturgist of his time, he was
probably asked to translate many prayers and services from Greek to
Georgian. Among them, they believe, was the “Canon for the Blessing of Holy Water.”
The
famous 19th-century historian Platon Ioseliani writes that other church
services belonging to the pen of Saint Nicholas are included among the
manuscripts of the Iveron Monastery on Mount Athos.
Saint Nicholas reposed peacefully in the year 1308.