Tbilisi, February 10, 2025
Photo: sazu.ge
The Georgian Orthodox Church is celebrating the 900th anniversary of one of its most beloved saints, King David the Builder, this year.
St. David the IV, also known as the Builder, was the fifth king of the Kingdom of Georgia from 1089 until his death in 1125. He is widely considered the greatest ruler in Georgian history. He drove the Seljuk Turks out of the country in the Battle of Didgori in 1121. He was also a notable proponent of Christian culture.
The main events in his honor were celebrated in churches throughout the country over the weekend, with St. David’s feast on Saturday. The day before, an academic conference on the life and work of the great saint was held.
On his feast day, in addition to the Divine Liturgies celebrated in the churches and monasteries of the Georgian Church, streets named for St. David in Mtskheta and Tbilisi were blessed, and a state of St. David at the entrance to Tbilisi was adorned with a royal crown, reports the Georgian Church’s Public Relations Service.
His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II offered a short homily:
David the Builder was great, but this greatness wasn’t just about military victories and glory, it was about how he built the church and state, how he united and strengthened them, and what legacy he left that still teaches us today. A genius is someone who is not just a genius in isolation—if you look at his deeds from various angles, you’ll see he was a royal builder who not only thought and cared about the present but also about the future. David the Builder, who created a powerful state and at the same time was an absolute servant of the spiritual life—his name would be immortalized not just in Georgia but across the world. This absolute servitude to spiritual life tells us how spiritually elevated this person was, how deeply he understood and served the world, understood and felt that higher divine power that lies beyond human reach. David the Builder’s joy and his prayer are the strength of Georgia.
His Eminence Metropolitan Shio of Senaki, Patriarchal Locum Tenens, also preached on the saint, emphasizing how the 12th-century Georgian king combined political wisdom with deep Christian faith. The Metropolitan highlighted that St David transformed a divided, war-torn Georgia into a powerful Christian state not merely through military and political skill, but through his profound religious devotion, humility, and commitment to education and culture. He also attention to St. David’s personal piety, evidenced in his Hymns of Repentance, and presents him as a model ruler who understood that national strength comes from the unity of Church and state, suggesting that modern Georgia should follow his example.
Blessed David IV the King of GeorgiaThis most valiant, powerful, and righteous Georgian king left his heirs with a brilliant confession when he died. It recalled all the sins he had committed with profound lamentation and beseeched the Almighty God for forgiveness.
“>Read more about St. David here.
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