The Three Hundred Aragvians ( ka, სამასი არაგველი, tr) is the name by which the

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

historiography refers to a detachment of the highlanders from the Aragvi valley who fought the last stand at the

battle of Krtsanisi The Battle of Krtsanisi ( ka, კრწანისის ბრძოლა, tr) was fought between the Qajar Iran (Persia) and the Georgian armies of the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti and Kingdom of Imereti at the place of Krtsanisi near Tbilisi, Ge ...

, defending

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 ...

against the invading Qajar army in 1795. The

Georgian Orthodox Church The Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამოციქულო ავტოკეფალური მართლმადიდებელი ეკლესია, tr), commonly ...

had the 300 Aragvians and those who fought and died in the battle canonized as

martyrs A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external ...

in 2008.

History

The 300 Aragvians were part of the contingent raised from the highland districts on the Aragvi river which saw action under Prince Royal Vakhtang of Georgia, on the approaches of the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, on 11 September 1795. The heavy fighting, unfolding in the fields of

Krtsanisi The Battle of Krtsanisi ( ka, კრწანისის ბრძოლა, tr) was fought between the Qajar Iran (Persia) and the Georgian armies of the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti and Kingdom of Imereti at the place of Krtsanisi near Tbilisi, ...

and continuing in the streets of Tbilisi, saw the defeat of the aging and hopelessly outnumbered Georgian king Heraclius II at the hands of the Persian army led by

Agha Muhammad Khan Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar ( fa, آقا محمد خان قاجار, translit=Âqâ Mohammad Xân-e Qâjâr; 14 March 1742 – 17 June 1797), also known by his regnal name of Agha Mohammad Shah (, ), was the founder of the Qajar dynasty of Iran ...

, and the sack of the capital. According to the Georgian accounts, the Aragvians had pledged themselves to fight to the death and stayed true to their oath. Most of them were killed, fighting the

last stand A last stand is a military situation in which a body of troops holds a defensive position in the face of overwhelming and virtually insurmountable odds. Troops may make a last stand due to a sense of duty; because they are defending a tactic ...

at Tbilisi and giving Heraclius a means of retreat.

Memory

The 300 Aragvian soldiers were first eulogized in his history by Prince Royal Teimuraz, himself a teenage participant of the 1795 events. The leading figures of the Georgian literature of the 19th and 20th centuries, such as

Grigol Orbeliani Prince Grigol Orbeliani or Jambakur-Orbeliani ( ka, გრიგოლ ორბელიანი; ჯამბაკურ-ორბელიანი) (2 October 1804 – 21 March 1883) was a Georgia (country), Georgian Romanticist poet an ...

Ilia Chavchavadze Prince Ilia Chavchavadze ( ka, ილია ჭავჭავაძე; 8 November 1837 – 12 September 1907) was a Georgian public figure, journalist, publisher, writer and poet who spearheaded the revival of Georgian nationalism during the ...

Iakob Gogebashvili Iakob Gogebashvili ( ka, იაკობ გოგებაშვილი) (October 15, 1840 – June 1, 1912) was a Georgian educator, children’s writer and journalist, considered to be the founder of the scientific pedagogy in Georgia. Through ...

Vazha-Pshavela Vazha-Pshavela ( ka, ვაჟა-ფშაველა), Mononymous person, simply referred to as Vazha ( ka, ვაჟა) (26 July 1861 – 10 July 1915), is the pen name of the Georgians, Georgian poet and writer Luka Razikashvili ( ka, ლ ...

Galaktion Tabidze Galaktion Tabidze ( ka, გალაკტიონ ტაბიძე), simply referred to as Galaktioni ( ka, გალაკტიონი),(November 17, 1892 – March 17, 1959), was a Georgian poet of the twentieth century whose writings pr ...

, and

Lado Asatiani Vladimir (Lado) Asatiani ( ka, ვლადიმერ ��ადოასათიანი) (14 January 1917 – 23 June 1943) was a Georgian poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as suc ...

, paid tribute to their memory and helped establish their standing as national heroes. A monument to the 300 Aragvians, authored by A. Bakradze, was erected in 1959 at the place where remnants of the graves of those who died in 1795 were unearthed. A nearby park and a bridge over the

Mtkvari The Kura is an east-flowing river south of the Greater Caucasus Mountains which drains the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus east into the Caspian Sea. It also drains the north side of the Lesser Caucasus while its main tributary, the Ar ...

bear the name of the 300 Aragvians and a

Tbilisi Metro The Tbilisi Metro ( ka, თბილისის მეტროპოლიტენი) is a rapid transit system in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. Opened on 11 January 1966, it was the fourth metro system in the former Soviet Union. Like other ...

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

opened in 1967 was also named in their honor. On 27 June 2008, the

Holy Synod In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox C ...

of the

presided by Catholicos-Patriarch

Ilia II Ilia may refer to: Science and medicine *''Apatura ilia'' or lesser purple emperor, a butterfly *Ilium (bone) (plural: "ilia"), pelvic bone People * Ilia (name), numerous **Ilia II Ilia may refer to: Science and medicine *''Apatura ilia'' or ...

canonized the "300 Aragvians, clergy, and laymen perished in the battle of Krtsanisi of 1795" as "holy martyrs", setting 11 September ( NS: 24 September) as the day of their commemoration.

References

{{Reflist 18th-century births 1795 deaths Battle of Krtsanisi 18th-century Eastern Orthodox martyrs Saints of Georgia (country) History of Tbilisi Military personnel from Georgia (country)

History

Memory

See also

References