d. 914
A Georgian prince and military leader captured after battle against Arab invaders, who with 133 soldiers refused to renounce Christ and was martyred in 914.
The Holy and Glorious Martyr Gobron (Michael) and His 133 Soldiers of Georgia
Gobron, also known as Mikel-Gobron or Michael-Gobron, was a Georgian military commander remembered for leading the defense of the fortress of Kveli (Kvelistsikhe) in southern Georgia against an Arab Muslim invasion in 914. According to his hagiography, his original name was Mikel (Michael). When the fortress fell after a prolonged siege, Gobron and a body of his soldiers were taken captive and put to death for refusing to renounce the Christian faith.
With 133 of his fellow soldiers, Gobron was numbered among the martyrs by the Georgian Apostolic Church, and the group is commemorated together as a single body of martyrs. Their account survives in an early Passion composed in Georgia within a few years of their deaths.
An account of the martyrdom, 'The Passion of the Holy Martyr Gobron,' was composed by Bishop Stephen of Tbeti (Stepane Mtbevari) at the request of the Georgian Bagratid prince Ashot I of Tao, written between 914 and 918, within a few years of the events.
Gobron and the 133 soldiers were numbered among the saints by the Georgian Apostolic Church, with their commemoration set on November 17, the day of their martyrdom (November 30 on the Gregorian calendar).
Named group kept as one row.