God is with us!!!

Our Patriarch

His Holiness and Beatitude, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia Ilia II (in lay life Irakli Giorgi Ghudushauri-Shiolashvili) was born on January 4, 1933 in Vladikavkaz.

The Catholicos-Patriarch's parents were from Georgia, from the Kazbegi region: father - Giorgi Simon Shiolashvili - from the village of Sno, mother - Natalia Joseph Kobaidze - from the village of Sioni. In 1927, they bought a house in Vladikavkaz, where the future Patriarch of Georgia was born. The parents baptized the three-day-old newborn on Christmas Day in the Georgian church and named the child Irakli in honor of Erekle II.

In 1952, Irakli Shiolashvili graduated from Vladikavkaz Secondary School No. 22 and entered the Moscow Theological Seminary, and then continued his studies at the Moscow Theological Academy.

In 1957, Irakli Shiolashvili, a second-year student at the Theological Academy, was tonsured a monk with the blessing of His Holiness Melchizedek III, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, and was given the name Ilia in honor of the Holy Prophet Ilia. He was soon ordained a hierodeacon, and in 1959, a priest-monk.

Priest-Monastic Ilia graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy in 1960. He was asked to continue his scientific work, but due to the shortage of clerical personnel, he returned to his homeland and was appointed as a priest in the Batumi Cathedral. For his faithful work, he was elevated to the rank of abbot in 1961, and then to the rank of archimandrite; and on August 26, 1963, by the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, His Holiness and Beatitude Ephrem II, he was ordained Bishop of Shepemod and appointed Choreographer of the Catholicos-Patriarch. From 1963 to 1972, he was the first rector of the Mtskheta Theological Seminary, the only theological school at that time.

In 1967, Bishop Ilia was transferred to the Abkhazian Diocese. In 1969, he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan. On November 9, 1977, after the death of His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia David V, by the decision of the Holy Synod, he was appointed Patriarch, and on December 23, 1977, he was elected Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. On December 25 of the same year, he was enthroned. The Patriarch was given the name Ilia II (Ilia I ruled the Georgian Church 1600 years ago, 390-400 AD).

From 1978 to 1983, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II was the President of the World Council of Churches. He has been awarded the highest awards of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Patriarchates of Antioch, Jerusalem, Alexandria, Russia, Georgia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Czechoslovakia and almost all other Orthodox Churches. The New York Theological Academy awarded Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II the honorary title of Doctor of Theology. In 1997, His Holiness was elected an honorary member of the Theological Academy of Crete. In the same year, he was elected a full member of the International Academy of Informatization at the United Nations; and in 1998, he was elected a full member of the St. Tikhon Theological Seminary awarded him the honorary degree of Doctor of Theology.

In 1988, under the leadership of His Holiness and Beatitude, the Mtskheta Theological Seminary was transferred to Tbilisi and the Tbilisi Theological Academy-Seminary was founded. Theological schools were opened in various parts of Georgia: theological seminaries in Batumi, Akhaltsikhe and Kutaisi, the theological school in Khulo and the gymnasium attached to it, gymnasiums were founded in Tbilisi, Batumi, Zestaponi… Centuries later, the Gelati Theological Academy and the Gelati Academy of Sciences under the auspices of the Church were revived.

With the blessing of His Holiness and Beatitude, the Bible, theological collections, brochures and books, magazines, three types of calendars were published in modern Georgian, and newspapers were founded. On his initiative, the Center for Architecture, the Department of Folk Crafts and Mission and Evangelization, the Center for Publishing and the Search and Protection of Holy Relics, the Department for Relations with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies, as well as the Foreign and Financial-Economic Department, the Information Service, the Youth Center “Dzvelai”, the Humanitarian Service, the Pilgrimage Service, and others were established at the Patriarchate.

During these twenty years, the number of dioceses of the Georgian Church increased from 15 to 33, monasteries - up to 53, clergy - up to 1000. New saints were canonized. The largest church in Georgia - the Holy Trinity Cathedral - was built.

All of this is a small part of what has been accomplished through the prayers, blessings, and efforts of His Holiness.