John Grdzelisdze

Venerable John Grdzelisdze (end of the tenth - beginning of the eleventh century) was a monk of the Iviron Monastery on Mount Athos, a Georgian scholar and calligrapher. He is venerated by the faithful as a saint, without any known canonization; the Church of Georgia commemorates him on 31 July.

News of him is in the Life of Venerable John and Euthymius the Athonites, written by Venerable George the Athonite (Mtatsmindeli) in the years 1042-1044, in the Life of Venerable George the Athonite, written by George Mtsire in the years 1066-1068, and in the colophons of manuscripts of the Iviron collection, which he himself copied.

John and, later, Saint Arsenius of Ninotsminda struggled in the monastery of Otkhta-⁠Eklesia, in the Klarjeti desert, where earlier had lived Venerable John the Athonite (Mtatsmindeli), one of the founders of Iviron Monastery. John and Arsenius became friends and were never again parted; they left Otkhta-⁠Eklesia to escape excessive attention and moved to one of the monasteries of Pontus. After a time the Athonites learned where they were and sent a monk to them with a letter: "Holy fathers, we have heard of your holiness and learned where you are and are much grieved that you did not wish to come to us so that we might be together, for you know that we too are in a foreign land." John and Arsenius rejoiced at the invitation and the next year came to Athos, where they were warmly received by the Georgian brothers and settled in cells built specially for them, in the skete of Saint Symeon the Stylite near the newly built Iviron Monastery; they lived there about 1044-1050. They took part in the life of the monastery: on their advice, Venerable Euthymius about 1019 handed the direction of the monastery to Venerable George the Builder (until 1029), so as to devote all his time to literary and translation work.

Many manuscripts containing Euthymius's translations were copied by John and Arsenius together, for example Ath. Iver. georg. 4, of 1008; 8, of the tenth century; 10, of the tenth century; 13, of 1008; and others. The incorrupt relics of John and of Saint Arsenius, laid to rest in the place of their struggle, beside the skete of Saint Symeon, were found by the abbot of Iviron, Venerable George the Athonite (1044-1056), and moved to the south part of the narthex of the katholikon of the Dormition at Iviron Monastery, near the shrine with the relics of the founders of Iviron.