Theodore of Kvelta

Holy Hieromartyr Theodore of Kvelta (in Georgian Tevdore) was a Georgian village priest, beheaded by the Ottomans in June 1609, after he led them away from the castle of King Luarsab II. The Church commemorates him on 8 June by the old calendar.

He was a simple priest in the village of Kvelta, near Manglisi. At that time the Ottomans and the Persians were fighting over the Near East. At the beginning of 1609 the Ottomans took the city of Baghdadi, then part of Samtskhe, and in June they attacked eastern Georgia. The young King Luarsab was in his summer residence, Tskhireti Castle, with few troops and without any warning. The Ottomans crossed the Trialeti mountains and advanced toward Manglisi, plundering and laying waste the land. The church of the Mother of God at Manglisi remained, according to a chronicler, wrapped in a dense fog that hid it from the enemy.

In Kvelta the Turks seized the priest Theodore, a man sincere before God and devoted to his king and country. Unable to flee to the woods with the other villagers, he locked the church doors and hid its sacred treasures. Finding him, the Ottomans ordered him to lead them to Tskhireti Castle, threatening him with death. Father Theodore led them along a narrow, rocky path in another direction from the castle; many horses and soldiers fell to their deaths. After a time the Turks realized the priest had deceived them and, full of hatred, beheaded him.

Thanks to his sacrifice, King Luarsab had time to strengthen his fortifications, gather his armies and finally destroy the enemy.