Archil II of Iberia

Holy Martyr Archil II of Iberia (Georgia) was a pious king of the Khosroid dynasty, a great-⁠grandson of the holy king Mirian. He was beheaded in the year 744 for refusing to accept Islam. He is commemorated on 4 July.

In his reign Georgia was devastated by the invasion of Murvan-⁠Kru (the Deaf), so called by the Georgian people for his implacable cruelty. The Georgians' position was hopeless, and King Archil, with his brother, Mir, ruler of Western Georgia, with tears asked the protection of the Most Holy Mother of God. And She showed Her mercy. In the battle at the rivers Abasha and Tskhenistskali the Georgians wondrously won the victory over the far greater forces of Murvan-⁠Kru, in 736. After this victory the pious king Archil set about restoring the Georgian kingdom: he restored the city of Nukhpatis, renewed the ruined churches at Mtskheta and helped several highland tribes to accept Christianity.

But soon Georgia was struck by a new Arab invasion, the unexpected attack of Jijum-⁠Asim. Regularly paying tribute to the Arabs, the king had not expected this attack. To save the country from a new devastation and from the Islam being imposed on it, he thought it good to go himself to Jijum-⁠Asim, to acknowledge Georgia's vassal dependence and to ask for peace. Placing all his hope in the mercy of God and prepared to lay down his soul for the holy faith and for his people, Saint Archil went to the Arabs' camp. Jijum-⁠Asim received him hospitably and promised his protection, but insisted that he adopt Islam. As the "Chronicle of Georgia" tells, the holy king Archil answered calmly: "It shall not be that I leave Christ, the true God, who for our salvation took human flesh. Know that if I obey you, I shall die an eternal death and suffer for ever; but if, for my firmness, you put me to death, I shall rise, as my Lord also, and come to Him." Hearing these words, Jijum-⁠Asim ordered the confessor bound and taken to prison. But neither torments, nor persuasion, nor promises could make the pious king Archil an apostate. On 20 March 744 the holy king Archil received the death of a martyr by beheading. The martyr's body was secretly taken out by the Georgian Christians to the place called Ertso and buried in Kakheti, in the church at Nothkor, built by the pious king himself.