Saint
Dositheus of Tbilisi
Saint Dositheus of Tbilisi
New Calendar January 25 Old Calendar February 7
Why they are a saint
Dositheus was a hierarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church and Archbishop of Tbilisi canonized as a martyr for his death at the hands of the Iranian soldiers in 1795. Dositheus was a priest confessor of Queen Darejan Dadiani, consort of King Heraclius II of Georgia, and metropolitan bishop of Tbilisi. When the city of Tbilisi fell to the invading army of Agha Muhammad Khan Qajar, ruler of Iran, in the aftermath of the Battle of Krtsanisi in September 1795, a group of Qajar soldiers found the elderly Dositheus at the Sioni Cathedral kneeling before the icon of Virgin Mary and threw him to his death into the Kura River.
Patronage / why chosen as patron
Orthodox Christians usually take Dositheus of Tbilisi as a patron when they bear the name Dositheus at baptism, or were born or baptized near the feast on January 25. Georgian Orthodox faithful also honor his as one of their own.
Prayer
O holy Dositheus of Tbilisi, pray to God for us.
A short general prayer to a saint, not a liturgical text. No public-domain troparion for this saint is included.