Zakaria of Ancha

Saint Zakaria of Ancha, a hierarch, was bishop of Ancha in the 9th century, a wonderworker, a contemporary of Gregory of Khandzta. Reports about him are in the Life of Gregory, written by George Merchule in 951. As a child he was a shepherd in Klarjeti. Once he prepared, like a priest, an offering before the honorable cross; children gathered round and sang "Holy, holy, holy, Lord Sabaoth" and "Lord, have mercy", and a bright pillar of light came down from heaven upon Zakaria. The bishop of Ancha was passing on the road at that time; he received Communion from the child's hand, took him to Ancha and told the ecclesiarch of the miracle, and worthy people raised him at the monastery of Tbeti. After many years Zakaria became bishop of the diocese of Ancha, caring also for the monasteries in Shavsheti and Klarjeti, among them those founded by Gregory.

The Life tells of his miracles. Once a rock above the Tbeti monastery began to sway and the monks fled in terror from their cells; Zakaria, remaining where he was, said to them: "Tomorrow you will see this rock lying in a safe place", and so it was. Another time, on an autumn day, he blessed with the sign of the cross a thrush that was pecking grapes in the vineyard and the bird fell dead; when he made the sign of the cross again, the thrush came back to life. When swarms of locusts attacked Ancha, he sent priests to bar their way with his staff, and the Lord, through the grace of His servant, destroyed many locusts. Another miracle was the killing, by the power of prayer, of two dragons that suddenly appeared in the vineyards. His commemoration has been kept since 2003, on 5 October (old style; 18 October new style).