Our Venerable Father Euthymius the Elder, Abbot of the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist in the Davit-Gareji Wilderness
Life
Saint Euthymius the Elder was abbot of the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist (Natlismtsemeli) in the Davit-Gareji Wilderness of Georgia, a cluster of cave monasteries hewn into the rock of the semi-desert Gareji region of Kakheti, founded in the sixth century by Saint David of Gareji. The monastic chronicles remember Euthymius as a 'man of many labors,' and the nineteenth-century historian Prince John Bagrationi described him as a philosopher and theologian and an outstanding preacher.
His tenure combined scholarly and practical labors: he oversaw the translation of a great number of theological works and the recopying of many rare books, taught pupils in philosophy and theology, and at the request of Bishop Saba of Ninotsminda composed an Akathist hymn to Saint Nino, the Equal-to-the-Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia. He reposed peacefully in 1804, and the Georgian Church commemorates him on August 8.
Contributions & Legacy
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The Davit-Gareji Wilderness
The monastic community that Euthymius led belonged to the David Gareji complex, which lies on the half-desert slopes of Mount Gareja on the edge of the Iori Plateau in the Kakheti region of eastern Georgia, roughly sixty to seventy kilometers southeast of Tbilisi. Founded in the sixth century by Saint David, one of the thirteen Assyrian monks who came to Georgia, the complex consists of hundreds of cells, churches, chapels, and refectories hollowed out of the rock face. The Monastery of Saint John the Baptist (Natlismtsemeli) was established by David's disciples as the settlement expanded.
The wilderness had endured centuries of hardship and repeated raids before Euthymius's time, and the labors recorded of him belong to the work of rebuilding and sustaining the community in a harsh and exposed landscape.
Labors and Restoration
Euthymius reconstructed the village of Khashmi, which had been utterly razed by Dagestani raiders. There he built a mill and planted a vineyard with a rare variety of grape. He also adorned the monastery itself and enlarged its surrounding estate.
As a scholar he directed the translation of numerous theological works and the recopying of rare books, sustaining the literary and intellectual life of the monastery, and he instructed students in philosophy and theology.
Ministry During the Plague of 1797
When the plague broke out in Tbilisi in 1797 and the city's residents fled, monastics and hermits left their isolated cells to minister to the sick and suffering. Euthymius served as the leader and inspiration behind these works of mercy, as he had in his other endeavors. He reposed peacefully in 1804.
