Tbeli Abuserisdze

Tbeli Abuserisdze (Abuseridze) was a Georgian scholar and church writer of the thirteenth century, honoured as a saint and commemorated on 17 August (new style). He died about 1240.

He was a son of John Abuserisdze, eristavt-⁠eristavi (archduke) of Khikhata in Upper Adjara, who died in a battle with the Turks. After his mother was widowed she became a nun with the name Katherine; his brothers, Abuseri and Bardan, were also well-⁠known men of their time. He received an education fitting his rank, probably at the Gelati Academy, and left a deep mark on Georgian culture as a hymnographer, astronomer, expert in sacred music and scholar of many interests. He built a church in honour of Saint George in the village of Khikhani in Upper Adjara, where he is believed to have written most of his works.

His principal work is the treatise “The Complete Timekeeper”, on the calendar, systems of chronology, the dates of church feasts, tables of moonrise and moonset and special cycles, based mostly on his own mathematical research. He also wrote “The Miracles of Saint George” and “The Testament of the Author”, a religious and historical work, in which he commands that his descendants be brought to the village of Khikhani. His hymns to Saint John the Baptist, Saint John the Theologian and Saint John Chrysostom show his piety and his gift as a church writer.