Nikoloz Dvali

Venerable Martyr Nikoloz Dvali was born toward the end of the 13th century in the village of Tsei, in the Dvaleti region (today in North Ossetia), to devout parents who dedicated him to God from birth. At twelve he went to the Klarjeti wilderness and became a monk, then made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and stayed at the Holy Cross Monastery. Burning with desire for martyrdom, he openly confessed Christ before the Muslim judge, was beaten and imprisoned; the brothers ransomed him. On the abbot's advice he went to Cyprus, to a Georgian monastery. Once, praying before an icon of Saint John the Baptist, he heard a voice that told him to return to Jerusalem, where a Georgian monk would teach him the way of salvation. In a dream the Mother of God and Saint John the Baptist showed the abbot that Nikoloz must be sent to Damascus.

At Damascus he entered a mosque and confessed Christ as Savior, rebuking the folly of those present. The Muslims beat him and threw him into prison; the metropolitan and the Christians got him out, but he went back and rebuked them again. They lashed him five hundred times and threw him into prison a second time; his wounds were healed through the intercession of Saint John the Baptist, and after two months he was released. The emir of the city recognised him and sent him to Dengiz, the emir of emirs, who tried to lure him to Islam; Nikoloz boldly defended the faith and was condemned to death. He turned to the east, joyfully bowed his head under the sword and said: "Glory to Thee, O Christ God, Who hast accounted me worthy to die for Thy name's sake." The severed head glorified God seven times, and the body was burned; for three days a pillar of light stood over the place.

He died on 19 October 1314, at Damascus. He is commemorated on 19 October and on 12 February (old style; 25 February new style), in the Synaxis of the Georgian saints of Jerusalem. In North Ossetia he is also venerated as Nikolai Tuallag.