Christophorus III ( ka, ქრისტეფორე III, ''K'ristep'ore III'') (27 March 1873 – 10 January 1932) was a
Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia
'' Catholicos-Patriarch'' has been the title of the heads of the Georgian Orthodox Church since 1010. The first Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia was Melkisedek I (1010–1033). In the 15th century the Georgian Orthodox Church was divided into t ...
from 1927 until his death.
He was born as Kristepore Tsitskishvili (ქრისტეფორე ციცქიშვილი) near the town of
Kharagauli
Kharagauli ( ka, ხარაგაული) is an administrative center of Kharagauli district in Georgia. It is situated on both banks of river in a narrow and deep gorge, 280-400m above the sea level.
Founding
It was founded as a railway s ...
. Having graduated from the
Tbilisi Spiritual Seminary
Tbilisi Theological Seminary ( ka, თბილისის სასულიერო სემინარია; russian: Тбили́сская духо́вная семина́рия) is a spiritual training institution, which operated from ...
in 1895, he served as a
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
in the
Trans-Caspian region, and later in Georgia. At the same time, he taught theology and Georgian, and was energetically involved in the movement which led to the restoration of
autocephaly
Autocephaly (; from el, αὐτοκεφαλία, meaning "property of being self-headed") is the status of a hierarchical Christian church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. The term is primarily used in Eastern O ...
of the
Georgian Orthodox Church
The Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამოციქულო ავტოკეფალური მართლმადიდებელი ეკლესია, tr), commonly ...
in 1917. Christophorus was consecrated as a
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
of
Urbnisi
Urbnisi ( ka, ურბნისი) is a village in Georgia’s Shida Kartli region, in the district of Kareli.
Situated on a high left bank of the Mtkvari river, it was an important city in ancient and early medieval Iberia as Georgia was know ...
(1921–1925) and
metropolitan
Metropolitan may refer to:
* Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories
* Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England
* Metropolitan county, a typ ...
of
Abkhazia
Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...
(1925–1927). Elected as the catholicos-patriarch on 4 June 1927, he had to lead the Georgian church as it withstood harsh pressure from the
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
authorities.
References
Catholicoi and Patriarchs of Georgia ''Orthodoxy.Ge''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christophorus 03 Of Georgia, Patriarch
1873 births
1932 deaths
Catholicoses and Patriarchs of Georgia (country)
Eastern Orthodox Christians from Georgia (country)
People from Kutais Governorate