According to a tradition, Iberia, also called Georgia, is the particular province of the Immaculate Mother of God. Saint Stefan of the Holy Mountain relates that after our Lord's Ascension, as the Apostles and His most Holy Mother remained in Jerusalem awaiting the promised Comforter, they cast lots to determine in which country God desired each of them to preach the Gospel. When, with fear and reverence, they cast for the holy Mother of God, the destiny of the most Pure One fell on the Iberian land. After the day of Pentecost She meant to set out for Iberia at once, but an Angel of God restrained Her, saying that She must remain in Jerusalem, for Her land would be enlightened with the light of Christ at a later time. These words were fulfilled three centuries later when the most Blessed Virgin Mother of God sent, zenith Her blessing and help, the holy virgin Nino to preach in Iberia. The Christian doctrine of the Ascension holds that Jesus bodily ascended to heaven following his resurrection. ... The Twelve Apostles (in Koine Greek απόστολος apostolos [1], someone sent forth/sent out, an emissary) were probably Galilean Jewish men (10 names are Aramaic, 4 names are Greek) chosen from among the disciples, who were sent forth by Jesus of Nazareth to preach the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Jerusalem (Hebrew: Yerushalayim; Arabic: al-Quds; Greek Ιεροσόλυμα; Latin Aelia Capitolina) is an ancient Middle Eastern city on the watershed between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea at an elevation of 650-840 meters. ...

St. Nino (Saint Nina) was born in Cappadocia and was the only daughter of pious and noble parents the Roman general Zabulon, a relative of the great martyr St. George, and Susanna, sister of the patriarch of Jerusalem. When St. Nino was twelve years old, she traveled with her parents to the holy city of Jerusalem. Here her father Zabulon obtained the patriarch's blessing and departed into the Jordan wilderness to serve God as a monk. Susanna was established by her brother the patriarch at a church to serve the poor and the sick, and Nino was given to be brought up by a certain pious old woman Nianfora. The holy young girl had such outstanding abilities that in the course of two years, with the help of the grace of God, she had firmly assimilated the rules of faith and piety. Every day she prayerfully read the Holy Scripture, and her heart blazed with love for Christ, Who had endured the suffering of the Cross and death for the salvation of men. When, with tears, she would read the Gospel story of the Crucifixion of our Savior, her thoughts often rested on the fate of the Lord's robe. she asked her teacher about its present location, for she felt sure that such a holy object could not have been lost. Nianfora told St. Nino that to the north-east of Jerusalem was the country of Iberia and in it the city Mtskheta and that there, according to tradition, the Lord's robe had been taken by the soldier who had won it by lot at Christ’s crucifixion. Nianfora added that the inhabitants of that country, the Kartlians, and also their neighbors the Armenians and many mountain tribes still remained enveloped in the darkness of pagan error and godlessness. Cappadocia in 188 BC In ancient geography, Cappadocia (Greek: Καππαδοκία; see also List of traditional Greek place names; Turkish Kapadokya) was an extensive inland district of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... Zabulon (also Zebulun, Hebrew: זְבֻלוּן, Z’vulun) was one Jacobs twelve sons, and the ancestor of the tribe of the same name. ... For alternate uses, see Saint George (disambiguation) Saint George on horseback rides alongside a wounded dragon being led by a princess, late 19th century engraving. ... External link Jewish Encyclopedia: Susanna Categories: Wikipedia cleanup | Stub ... Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. ... A monk is a person who practices asceticism, the conditioning of mind and body in favor of the spirit. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

The old woman's words went deep into the heart of St. Nino, and many days and nights she spent in ardent prayer to the Most Holy Virgin Mother of God that she might be found worthy to see Iberia; to find and reverence the robe of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to preach the holy name of Christ to those peoples who did not know Him. And the most Blessed Mother of God heard the prayer of Her servant. She appeared to St. Nino in a dream and said:

"Go to Iberia and tell there the Good Tidings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and you will find favour before the Lord; and I will be for you a shield against all visible and invisible enemies. By the strength of this cross, you will erect in that land the saving banner of faith in My beloved Son and Lord."

When St. Nino awoke and saw in her hands the miraculous cross, she kissed it with tears of joy. Then, tying it in her hair, she went to see her uncle the patriarch. When the blessed patriarch heard how the Mother of God had appeared to St. Nino and had commanded her to go to Iberia to preach the Gospel of eternal salvation, he saw in this a clear expression of the will of God and did not hesitate to give the girl his blessing. When the time arrived for her departure. the patriarch led Nino into the church and up to the holy altar, and placing his hand on her head, he prayed in the following words: "Lord God, our Saviour! As I let this young girl depart to preach Thy Divinity, I commit her into Thy hands: Condescend, O Christ God, to be her Companion and Teacher everywhere that she proclaims Thy Good Tidings, and give her words such force and wisdom that no one will be able to oppose or refute them. pond Thou, most Holy Virgin Mother of God, Helper and Intercessor for all Christians, clothe with Thy strength against all enemies, visible and invisible, this girl whom Thou Thyself hast chosen to preach the Gospel of Thy Son and our God among the pagan nations. Be always for her a shield and an invincible protection, and do not deprive her of Thy favor until she has fulfilled Thy holy will!".

St. Nino (St. Nina) left Jerusalem with the princess Ripsimia the princess' teacher Gaiana, and a group of fifty-three virgins who were fleeing the persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian. Diocletian wanted to marry Ripsimia, even though she had taken a vow of chastity to Christ, so she and her virgins fled to Vagarshapat the capital of Armenia. Diocletian soon learned that Ripsimia vats hiding in Armenia and told the Armenian king Tiridat to take her for his own wife, for she was very beautiful. When Ripsimia remained faithful to her Heavenly Bridegroom, the enraged Tiridat, at this time still a pagan, had her and her companions cruelly tortured and put to death. Only St. Nino was miraculously saved. An emperor is a (male) monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. ... Emperor Diocletian. ...

Led by an unseen hand, she took refuge among some wild rose bushes which had not yet come into flower. Shaken by fear at the sight of her friends' fate, the Saint lifted up her hands to heaven in prayer for them and saw a radiant angel girded with a shining stole. With sweet-smelling incense in his hands and accompanied by a multitude of heavenly host, he came down from the celestial heights, and as if to meet him, the souls of the holy martyrs ascended from the earth, joined the throng of heavenly host, and together with them, rose into Heaven. On seeing this, St. Nina exclaimed, "O Lord, Lord! Why dost Thou leave me alone among these vipers and serpents?" In answer to this the angel said: "Do not grieve, but wait a little, for you also will be received into the Kingdom of the Lord of glory. This will occur when the prickly, wild rose which now surrounds you is covered with fragrant blossoms like a rose which has been planted and cultivated in a gardens But now, rise and go north where a great harvest is ripening, but where there are no harvesters." In accordance with this command, St. Nina set out on a long journey and finally arrived at the bank of an unfamiliar river near the village of Khertvisi. This river was the Kura, which flows from the west to the south-east to the Caspian Sea and waters all of central Georgia. On the riverbank St. Nina met some shepherds echo gave her food to refresh her after the long and tiring journey. These. people spoke Armenian, but St. Nina had learned this language from her teacher Nianfora. She asked one of the shepherds where the y of Mtskheta was located and if it was very far. He answered, Do you see this river? On its banks a great distance down stands a great city of Mtskheta where our gods hold power and our kings reign." Continuing on her way, on one occasion the holy pilgrim was overcome with fatigue, sat down on a rock, and began to wonder: where was the Lord leading her? what would be the fruits of her labors? and might not such a long and such a difficult pilgrimage all in vain? As she was considering these things, she fell asleep and had a dream: there appeared to her a man majestic in appearance. His hair fell to his shoulders, and in his hands he held scroll written in Greets He unrolled the scroll and gave it to Nina, commanding her to read it, and himself suddenly became visible. On awakening from sleep and seeing in her hand the miraculous scroll, St. Nina read in it the following Gospel verses: Verity, I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman path done, be told for a memorial of her(Matt.26:13). There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal.3:28). Then said Jesus unto them (the women), Be not afraid: go tell my brethren . . .(Matt.28:10). He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me(Matt.10:40). For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist(Luke 21:15). And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what tiling ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say (Luke 12:11-12). And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul . . . (Matt.10:28). Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Sprint: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world (Matt.28:19-20). Strengthened by this divine vision and consolation, St. Nina continued her journey with renewed fervour. Having overcome difficult labors, hunger, thirst, and fear of the wild animals, she reached the ancient Kartlian city of Urbnisi where she remained about a month, living in Jewish homes and studying the manners, customs, and language of a people new and unfamiliar to her. On one occasion, when all the men of that city as well as many from the Surrounding areas, were planning to go to the capital city of Mtskheta to worship their false gods, St. Nina decided to go with them. As they were approaching the city, they met the entourage of King Mirian and Queen Nana. Accompanied by a great crowd of people, they were making their way to a mountain top opposite the city where they intended to worship the lifeless idol Armazi. Till noon the weather remained clear. But this day, the first day of St. Nina's arrival at the city, which was the goal of her mission to save Iberia, was the last day of power for the pagan idol. Borne along by the crowd, St. Nina made her way to the place where the idol's altar was located. She caught sight of the chief idol Armazi. In appearance he resembled a man of unusually great height; cast of gilded copper, he was clad in a gold coat of mail with a gold helmet on his head. one eye was a ruby, the other an emerald, both of uncommon size and brilliance. To the right of Armazi stood another smaller gold idol by the name of Katsi, and to the left, a silver idol called Gaim. The entire crowd of people together with their king stood in senseless reverence and trembling before their gods while the priests made preparations for the offering of blood sacrifices. And when finally the incense was burned, the sacrificial blood flowed, and trumpets and cymbals resounded, the king and his people prostrated themselves before the lifeless statues; then the heart of the holy young girl burned with the zeal of the prophet Elias. Sighing from the depths of her soul and in tears lifting up her eyes to heaven, she began to pray: "Almighty God! By Thy great mercy, bring this people to a knowledge of Thyself, the One, True God. Scatter these idols as the wind blows dust and ashes from the face of the earth Look down with mercy upon this people, whom Thou hast created with Thine almighty hand and whom Thou hast honored with Thy divine Image ! And Thou, O Lord and Master, didst so love Thy creation that Thou didst give even Thine Only-begotten Son for the salvation of fallen mankind, —deliver the souls also of these Thy people from the destructive power of the prince of darkness, who has blinded the eyes of their understanding so that they do not see the true path to salvation. O Lord, grant me to see the final destruction of the idols standing here so proudly. So act that this nation and all the ends of the earth might comprehend the salvation given by Thee, that the North and the South together might rejoice in Thee, and that all nations might worship Thee, the One Eternal God, and Thine Only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom belongs glory forever." The Saint had not yet finished this prayer when storm-clouds suddenly arose from the west and rushed rapidly along over the river Kura. Realizing the danger, the king and his people turned to flight, and Nina hid herself in the cleft of a rock. A stormcloud burst with thunder and lightning over that place where the idol's altar stood. The idols, Which had formerly stood lofty and proud, were beaten into dust, the walls of the temple were also reduced to dust, and then the floods of water plunged them over the precipice, and the river carried them away. Thus there remained not even a trace of the idols and the temple dedicated to them. And St. Nina, protected by God, stood unharmed in the cleft of the rock and quietly watched as the elements raged about her, and then once again the brilliant sun began to shine. All this took place on the day of the Lord's most glorious Transfiguration — when the true Light that shone on Tabor transformed for the first time on the mountains of Iberia the darkness of paganism into the light of Christ. The next day the king and his people searched in vain for their gods, and when they could not find them, they were filled with dread and said: "The god Armazi is great; but there exists some other God, greater than he, Who has overcome him. Is this not perhaps the Christian God Who disgraced the ancient Armenian gods and caused the lying Tiridat to become a Christian? But in Georgia no one has heard anything about Christ. What then will happen in the future?" Some time after this, St. Nina entered the city of Mtskheta as a pilgrim. As she was approaching the royal garden, the gardener's wife, Anastasia, rushed out to meet her as if she were a longawaited friend. She bowed down to the Saint and led her into her home. Having washed her feet and anointed her head with oil, she offered her bread and wine. Anastasia and her husband asked Nina to remain with them in their home as a sister because they were childless and were distressed by their loneliness. Later, at the desire of St. Nina, Anastasia's husband built her a small hut in the corner of the garden, on which spot to this day there stands a chapel in honor of St. Nina within the enclosure of the Samtauri’s Convent. In this hut St. Nina placed the cross given her by the Mother of God and spent days and nights there in prayer and the singing of psalms. St. Nino was responsible for bringing in and introducing Christianity to Iberia (Georgia) in the 4th Century.