Joseph Jandieri

Saint Joseph Jandieri (or Jandierishvili) was Catholicos-⁠Patriarch of Eastern Georgia and died on 17 October 1770 by the old calendar, which is 28 October by the new. He is canonized by the Church of Georgia among the hierarchs and commemorated on 17 October by the old calendar, which is 30 October by the new. The record thus gives the date of death, 28 October, and the feast, 30 October, side by side, although the days do not fit together as one would expect.

He first lived as a monk in the monastery of David Gareja. It is said that his prayers healed the sick and those tormented by evil spirits. For his wisdom and virtue he was raised to the rank of bishop of Rustavi.

In 1755 he was elected Catholicos-⁠Patriarch in place of Anthony, who had been removed. Although he stood at the highest rank of the hierarchy, he remained a strict monk and lived as an ascetic.

In March 1764 the council restored Anthony I to the throne, and Joseph withdrew and settled in solitude at Akhmeta. The sources do not agree on the place: some say north-⁠west Georgia, others north-⁠east. There he tilled a vineyard with his own hands and gave most of the harvest to the poor. The climate of those parts is capricious, and drought and hail often destroy almost all the farmers' labour. All the time that Joseph lived there, however, his vineyard was never touched by drought or hail.

Having lived in holiness to a great age, Patriarch Joseph reposed in peace in 1770.