Melchizedek I of Georgia

St. Melchizedek I
Icon of Melchizedek
Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia
Died	1033
Venerated in	Georgian Orthodox Church
Canonized	October 17, 2002, Georgia by Georgian Orthodox Church
Feast	October 1

Melchizedek I (Georgian: მელქისედეკ I) was the first Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, from 1010 to 1033,^[1] reigning from Ani. He is revered as a saint by the Georgian Orthodox Church. Before him, heads of the Georgian Church only bore the title of Catholicos of Kartli. The unification of Georgia into a single kingdom by Bagrat III (r. 975–1014) led to the change in title.

In 1031, Melchizedek successfully petitioned Bagrat III for tax immunity for the Church, demonstrating the important power the Church had at the time and its influence over the State.^[2]

He visited Constantinople several times, and met with the Byzantine Emperor Basil II.^{[citation needed]}

Melchizedek was glorified by the Georgian Orthodox Church on October 17, 2002. His feast is celebrated on October 1.^[3]

References

1. Grdzelidze, Tamara (2011). ""Georgia, Patriarchal Orthodox Church of"". In John Anthony McGuckin (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. John Wiley & Sons. p. 273. ISBN 978-1-4051-8539-4. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
2. Rapp, Stephen H. Jr. (2007). "7 - Georgian Christianity". The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity. John Wiley & Sons. p. 146. ISBN 978-1-4443-3361-9. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
3. "Commemorated October 1/14. Saint Melchizedek, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia (11th century)". OrthoChristian.Com. Retrieved 2021-04-16.