Domentius III ( ka, დომენტი III, ''Domenti III''; died 22 September 1676) was a Georgian churchman and the

Catholicos Patriarch of 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 th ...

from 1660 to 1676. He was a member of the princely

Mukhrani Mukhrani ( ka, მუხრანი, originally Mukhnari ��უხნარი i.e., "oak-grove") is a historical lowland district in eastern Georgia, currently within the borders of Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, north of the town of Mtskheta. It lie ...

branch of the

Bagrationi dynasty The Bagrationi dynasty (; ) is a royal dynasty which reigned in Georgia from the Middle Ages until the early 19th century, being among the oldest extant Christian ruling dynasties in the world. In modern usage, the name of the dynasty is sometim ...

, born as a younger son of Kaikhosro, Prince of Mukhrani. His regnal name is sometimes given as ''Domentius II''. Domentius was a son of Kaikhosro, Prince of Mukhrani, born sometime before 1629. In 1649, he was ordained as an

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of Samtavro. In 1660, he succeeded to the patriarchal throne on the death of Christophorus II with the approval of his reigning Muslim cousin, Vakhtang V (Shah Nawaz Khan). Domentius was a supporter of Vakhtang's policy aimed at enhancing central authority at the expense of self-minded nobility, but he energetically opposed the Iranian customs prevailing at the royal court of that time. Domentius' authority extended only to eastern Georgia, with the western Georgian church running its own affairs as a result of the past political and ecclesiastic fragmentation. Immediately following his accession, Domentius embarked on a program of reorganizing perishes, building new churches, such as in Mchadijvari, and restoring older ones, such as Anchiskhati in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...

, to which he attached a bell tower. He was also responsible for acquiring the venerated icon of the Savior brought from the defunct Ancha monastery to Tbilisi and earning new land estates for the Patriarchal Cathedral of

Mtskheta Mtskheta ( ka, მცხეთა, tr ) is a city in Mtskheta-Mtianeti province of Georgia. It is one of the oldest cities in Georgia as well as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the World. Itis located approximately north of T ...

. Domentius' reforms were supported by Vakhtang's wife Queen Mariam, a devout Christian.

References

, - {{authority control 1676 deaths Catholicoses and Patriarchs of Georgia (country) 17th-century people from Georgia (country) House of Mukhrani