Venerable Gabriel (Urgebadze) of Samtavria, Archimandrite

Gabriel (Urgebadze) of Samtavria
(Georgian არქიმანდრიტი გაბრიელი; 1929 - 1995), archimandrite, holy confessor, holy fool for Christ's sake Memory October 20

In the world, Urgebadze Goderdzi Vasilievich, was born on August 26, 1929 in the city of Tbilisi, Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic as part of the USSR, in the family of a convinced communist. Goderdzi was about two years old when his father, Vasily Urgebadze, was killed under unknown circumstances. After this, family members began to call Goderzi after him - Vasiko. He had a brother and two sisters.

He was baptized in infancy and believed in God as a child. One day the neighbors were arguing, and one of them said: “ You crucified me like Christ.”

". The boy became interested in what it means to “crucify” and who Christ is. The adults sent the child to church, where the watchman advised him to read the Gospel. He saved up money, bought the Gospel and after a few years knew the text practically by heart.

He studied at Tbilisi school No. 24 for six years; He studied the Gospel at Zion Cathedral.

The desire for monasticism arose in him in his youth. Later the elder said: “ There is no greater heroism than monasticism.”

". For a long time, the mother was against her son’s desire for monasticism, but at the end of her life she came to terms with his choice, and then she herself took monastic vows with the name Anna and was buried in the Samtavro Monastery (+ April 26, 2000).

In 1949, Vasiko was drafted into the army. He served in military service in Batumi, in the border unit. Despite the strict regime, he observed fasting and secretly attended church. Returning home, Vasiko built himself a small dwelling in the courtyard of the house, where he labored alone and went to services at the Zion Cathedral.

In the early 1950s, Vasiko began working as a watchman, and then served as a psalm-reader in the Zion Cathedral.
On January 1, 1955, he was appointed his refector and day caretaker. On January 30, 1955, he was ordained a deacon and was appointed to the Kutaisi Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, on February 27, he was tonsured a monk by Bishop Gabriel (Chachanidze) in the Kutaisi Motsameta Monastery, and three days later he was ordained a hieromonk in the Peter and Paul Cathedral and appointed second priest.

He chose the monastic name for himself; he was named in honor of St. Gabriel of Athos, an elder who walked on the water and brought the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, which had sailed across the sea, to the Athos shore. Father Gabriel especially revered the miraculous list of Iverskaya, kept in the Samtavro monastery.

In January 1956, he refused to serve and was banned, but in October of the same year the ban was lifted.

He served first in Sioni, and from 1960 - in the Betania monastery.

At the end of 1962, the authorities closed Betania, and the elder returned to Tbilisi, where he built a multi-domed church in his backyard on Tetritskaroskaya Street in Tbilisi. He built it with his own hands and finished it around 1962. The Soviet authorities repeatedly destroyed this temple, but Father Gabriel restored it again and again. Father Gabriel found icons for this church in city dumps, where in those years numerous holy objects were taken and thrown away along with garbage. Sometimes he wandered around the dumps for days on end. He had a small workshop where he cleaned icons and made frames for them from various materials. The walls of his church were completely covered with images. He even framed photographs and images of icons from secular magazines. This church has survived to this day.

On May 1, 1965, during a demonstration, Hieromonk Gabriel burned a 12-meter portrait of Lenin, hung on the building of the Supreme Council of the Georgian SSR, and began to preach Christ to the gathered people. For this he was severely beaten and put in the Georgian KGB detention center. During interrogation, Father Gabriel said: he did this because “ you cannot idolize a person.
There, in place of the portrait of Lenin, the Crucifixion of Christ should hang. Man doesn't need fame. .
” In August of that year he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for examination. There he was declared insane. The elder was diagnosed: “ a psychopathic personality, believes in God and angels
.” He was given a “white ticket”.

Subsequently, the church hierarchy, to please the secular authorities, did not allow him to enter the church, did not allow him to attend services, and drove him away. The priest did not have the opportunity to receive communion, but he wanted this with all his soul. He could go without food for several days, without sleeping for a long time, but he had a very hard time bearing the impossibility of being alienated from the church. The elder often cried from powerlessness, opening his soul to his sisters.

In 1971, he was appointed rector of the Samtavro convent and seminary.

The nuns were surprised for some time at the priest’s eccentricities, until they saw in them a special feat. At first it seemed strange to them that for some time he lived in a chicken coop, where there were large gaps, and walked barefoot in winter. Then the sisters began to feel that extraordinary love was coming from him: he loved everyone. Often the elder shouted at the sisters, demanded obedience from them, forced them to do something, or could force them to eat from dirty dishes. But it was impossible to be offended by him - tender love shone in his eyes.

He took Abbess Theodora with him to Tbilisi when she was still a nun and forced her to beg. The two of them begged for alms, and then the elder gave everything to the poor. If they returned by taxi, he could yell at the taxi driver and not give any money at all, or he could pay many times more.

Otar Nikolaishvili was the priest’s spiritual child and often spent time in his cell. One day, Father Gabriel unexpectedly told him that he needed to immediately, urgently go to the monastery of St. Anthony of Martkop. Otar was confused: the car was not running, there were problems with it. Father insisted, and somehow they drove off. The road began to climb uphill, the car “coughed and sneezed,” but the elder suddenly said: “ Son, don’t worry, the Monk Anthony of Martkop himself is riding with us in the back seat, but don’t turn around
.” And the car suddenly jerked forward so much that the driver had to slam on the brakes. When they drove into the monastery gates, the car immediately stalled. At the same time, several armed people entered there, aggressively inclined. The elder immediately came forward and said: “Shoot me.” This confused and sobered up the bandits, and they left the monastery.

In the 1990s, with the blessing of Patriarch-Catholicos Ilia II, Archimandrite Gabriel lived in the city of Mtskheta in the tower of King Mirian near the Samtavro Temple and the Monastery of St. Nino. The monk gained the love and respect of the Orthodox believers of Georgia. He was a seer and miracle worker, to whom many pilgrims flocked every day [1].

He died on November 2, 1995 from dropsy. According to the elder’s will, his body was wrapped in a mat and interred in the place where Saint Nina labored.

On December 20, 2012, the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church canonized him, decided to venerate him as a venerable confessor and holy fool for Christ’s sake, and established the day of remembrance on the day of his death - November 2 A.D. Art.

On February 22, 2014, the relics of Elder Gabriel were found [2].

December 25, 2014 name of St. Gabriel of Samtavria was included in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church with the day of remembrance - November 2 AD. Art., as established in the Georgian Orthodox Church [3].

Elder Gabriel never wrote on paper; his words were recorded by others.

From the teachings of St. Gabriel You do not judge, the Judge is God Himself.
One who condemns is like an empty ear of wheat, whose head is always raised and who therefore always looks down on others. If you see a murderer, or a harlot, or a drunkard lying on the ground, do not judge anyone, because God has released their motives, and He holds yours in his hands. If yours also lets you go, you will find yourself in a worse position: you can fall into the sin of which you condemn another and perish. God heals first, and then the doctor, but whoever does not thank the doctor does not thank God. A hard worker deserves a reward. The mind and hands of a doctor do godly deeds.

For God it doesn’t matter who you are - a monk or a layman. The main thing is the desire for God. But can anyone achieve perfection? However, a person is saved by desire. A monastic will be asked to do monastic things, and a layman will be asked to do secular things.

Hate evil. Love and pity the person who does evil. Perhaps the one who does evil today will be cleansed tomorrow through prayer, tears, fasting and repentance and become like an angel - all in the will of God. There were many such cases.

Prayer of Elder Gabriel
Lord, I pray to You, hear us from heaven, look upon us, give Your mercy, let us go in peace, so that we may walk in Your path, fulfill Your commandments and renounce evil. Teach us, Lord, to pray before You and fulfill Your holy law, so that our hearts become devoted to You and to all of us to live according to Your holy law.

Prayers

The Troparion and Kontakion were written by Archimandrite Kirion (Oniani), translated from Georgian into Church Slavonic by the compilers of the complete service, Vladislav and Seraphim Alpatov (Moscow, 2022) [4]

Troparion, tone 1

Just as the Lord Christ hid His unspoken glory, clothed in flesh, and likewise you covered foolishness with sackcloth/ the light of Tabor, also the Lord of the axes, like a confessor and the sufferer, / and the shepherd of souls appeared, / Father, Reverend Gabriel, / / ​​pray to Christ God have mercy on our souls.

Kontakion, tone 4

The mercy of God is incomprehensible, / by His grace we all see the deified creation, / for you, O holy Father, / have confirmed the image of the Creator in yourself, / having raised your nature in the likeness of God, / you Let us glorify you, Father Gabriel, worthy of praise, / as you were You are on earth the voice of truth and the dove of purity, / living in wonderful humility, / you rang the organ of the lyre of wisdom and love, / now in heaven you represent our salvation, / / ​​progress I give up God's grace.

How does it help?

Before holding a prayer service for Gabriel, it is necessary to understand how the saint helps.

Acquiring and multiplying love

Some people never experience true love throughout their lives. To solve this problem, you can periodically pray to St. Gabriel. Such a prayer service can help you acquire new love and increase existing love.

Reconciliation of warring parties

It is no secret that prayer in front of an icon depicting the monk Gabriel is capable of many miracles. For example, if you regularly read prayer texts in front of her, you will be able to reconcile and unite warring people. Thanks to the prayer read, their hearts will be filled with gracious love, which will eliminate all old grievances.

Finding Faith

Sometimes people's faith weakens, causing them to have to regain it. There are many methods that will help you trust in the Lord again. However, reading a prayer service before the icon of Gabriel is considered an effective way. After reading the prayers, a person develops a feeling of humility and love, which helps him find God again and strengthen his faith in him.

Preserving the Family

Married couples often face serious problems that can destroy the family. If people want to save their family, they can turn to Gabriel Urgebadze for help. To do this, the married couple will have to regularly pray to the saint and ask him to return the former love and mutual understanding to their family.

Giving healthy children

All married couples want to have completely healthy children. Some believing Orthodox couples decide to ask St. Gabriel for healthy children. Sincere prayer can help in the birth of a healthy baby.

Kontakion to Saint Gabriel Urgebadze, tone 4

God’s mercy is immeasurable, / through His goodness we behold the creation deified by Him, / but you, reverend father, / you have established the image of your Creator in yourself, / and through suffering you have lifted up your nature into the likeness of God, / in the same way we glorify you, Father Gabriel, / as You are worthy of all praise, / you were on earth the harbinger of righteousness, the preacher of love and the dove of purity, / and through your all-wonderful humility / you opened a storehouse of wisdom to the world, / and now in Heaven you are // an intercessor for God’s mercy and our salvation.

“Elder Gabriel appeared to me in a dream”

Employees of the publishing house "Apostle of Faith" Maria Pukhova with an akathist written by her and Ivan Semenets with the book by Malkhaz Dzhinoriya "Elder Gabriel: a heart full of love"

February 22, 2022 will mark 5 years since the discovery of the incorruptible relics of St. Gabriel of Samtavria, confessor of Christ for the Fool's sake, archimandrite of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

“Rejoice, Venerable Confessor Gabriel, holy fool and miracle worker for Christ’s sake!” - is sung in the akathist written by Maria Pukhova in just three days.

– Maria, how was the work on Malkhaz Jinoria’s book “Elder Gabriel: A Heart Full of Love”?

– My professional activity for more than a quarter of a century has been connected with the publication of printed materials: I worked as a proofreader and editor in book publishing houses, newspapers, and magazines. For the last 15 years I have been publishing spiritual literature. When the publishing house “Apostle of Faith” offered me work on Malkhazu Jinoria’s book about the holy confessor Gabriel (Urgebadze), a holy fool for Christ’s sake, I agreed with great joy. Father Gabriel did not just say to its author: “You will tell my story to everyone!” Elder Gabriel often walked barefoot, in torn clothes, with a copper diadem on his head. Through the neck of a broken jug, he looked out for people who needed spiritual help, and shared with them his boundless sacrificial love and faith. Mama Gabrieli – this is how Georgians lovingly call their fellow countryman.

Mama Gabrieli - this is how Georgians lovingly call their fellow countryman

At the very beginning of working on the book, the elder appeared to me in a dream. I found myself in a huge temple, to my right in golden vestments stood the Catholicos-Patriarchs. I understood that these were Catholicos, because that’s what they were called. Warm light was spreading around; apparently, the service was about to begin. Suddenly, a smiling Father Gabriel came up to me, also in gold vestments, with a shining cross on his chest. He hugged me by the shoulders and repeated several times: “I was looking for you, I found you!”

When I started editing the manuscript, I remembered more than once about the elder’s blessing, because the text was difficult due to an inaccurate translation. Father Gabriel's help was felt in everything - in editing, layout, creating the cover and layout. To date, this book is the most complete publication about Elder Gabriel: it includes a detailed life, instructions, prophecies, and numerous cases of miracles. The editor-in-chief of this book, Yuri Semenets, according to his son Ivan, received healing through the prayers of Elder Gabriel.

Fragrant icon of St. Gabriel (Urgebadze) with a piece of his mantle and funeral plaque

– Have there been miracles in your life through the prayers of Elder Gabriel?

– The miracle is that as soon as I found out about this great saint, he immediately entered my heart, entered my life - through his prayers I found a confessor, received healing, found relatives in Tbilisi, whom I no longer hoped to see, since we lost contact with each other back in the 1990s. I am a parishioner of the temporary wooden Church of the Presentation of the Lord in Biryulyovo, where I read in the choir. As soon as I started working on the book, one benefactor brought to our church an icon of Father Gabriel, consecrated on his holy relics, a piece of the board on which the elder lay, and a piece of the vestment from the relics. The icon immediately began to smell fragrant, and soon the construction of a new stone temple began to progress in an amazing way. The parishioner who helped me bring a candlestick for the icon received healing by praying to Father Gabriel. I included this and other cases of miracles in the book.

It is also an obvious miracle that when the book ended up at the Georgian courtyard, they soon called us from there and reported that the cover with the face of an old man had lost myrrh. Then the same thing began to happen to me and some parishioners of our church. The myrrh streaming was even captured on video.

Prayer service with akathist before the icon of St. Gabriel (Urgebadze) in the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Irina in Pokrovskoye

– This is the first time I’ve heard that it’s not icons that stream myrrh, but books.

– On August 24, 2022, before a trip to Georgia, the cover of a book began to tremble at my house—small shining dots appeared on it. On August 26, Father Gabriel’s birthday, women I knew from the church came to see me. We began to read the akathist to the elder. The akathist I wrote had not yet been published, but was printed on pieces of paper. The book lay in front of us on the table. When we finished singing the akathist, we were surprised to see that the flow of myrrh had intensified, large drops and oil stains appeared, and it was even possible to anoint ourselves. I then handed over this book to Abbess Ketevan at the Samtavro Monastery.

When we finished singing the akathist, we saw that the myrrh flow intensified

– How did the title of the book come about?

– During the work, 15 names were invented. But when I put an end to it, the name was born on its own, as if someone had suggested it to me: “Elder Gabriel: a heart full of love.”

– We read these words in the 5th ikos of the akathist: “Rejoice, heart full of love.” How did you become the author of this akathist?

“The fact that the Lord allowed me to write an akathist to Father Gabriel is probably the greatest miracle in my life.” It was written in a matter of days, by inspiration from above. The official blessing for the publication of the Akathist to St. Gabriel of Samtavria in Russian was first received from the Georgian Orthodox Church, in connection with the celebration of the fifth anniversary of the discovery of the holy relics of Elder Gabriel.

Cover of the book written by Elder Gabriel’s spiritual child Malkhaz Jinoria, “Elder Gabriel: a heart full of love”

In recent years, we have seen how the veneration of the elder in Russia is growing, and we remember his words: “My cross is all of Georgia and half of Russia!” Nun Maria (Glushchenko), a nun at the Kemerovo Holy Dormition Convent, talks about this in her interview. With the blessing of the abbess of the monastery, she carries around the cities of Russia the fragrant icon of St. Gabriel with a piece of his mantle and funeral plaque.

The icon of the saint, which is a printed image of the saint on an ordinary board, has already been to Kursk, Kaluga, Zheleznogorsk, Moscow and other cities. And everywhere people write about miracles from this icon. There has already been a whole notebook of eyewitness accounts of these miracles. Nun Maria says about Elder Gabriel: “This is the apostle of love of our time, and we love him very much. He brings joy and warmth to everyone. And people become stronger in faith.”

Texts of prayers

The prayer to Gabriel Urgebadze is as follows:

“Holy Father, blessed Gabriel, like the ancient venerables and firm confessor, who from an early age received the words of the Lord and followed them zealously! Behold, we, lazy and wicked servants, stand before you in prayer, not having any of your exploits, below humility, but praising and magnifying ourselves in our souls every day, and also seeking enemies outside ourselves! It’s not imams who can justify themselves before God! But pray for us, Father, that the Lord may give us the strength to understand and fulfill His word, as it was revealed to you from infancy. May we, who call ourselves Christians, be not only hearers in dispersion, but also doers. Let us understand the face of our existence, as we can do nothing except God’s help. And may we seek him and may we love Him, and may we cleave to Him with all our souls, with all our hearts, with all our thoughts, and may our hearts, according to your word, be devoted to the Lord. And may he give us a guarantee of salvation in our souls, joy, peace and love in our hearts, reconciliation in all our troubles, consolation in all our sorrows, not from our works, but through your prayers, according to His ineffable mercy, to Him be glory and power in forever and ever. Amen!"

Famous images of the saint

The most famous icons of the saint are those painted by artists Zure Zhgenti and Giorgi Zakaidze in our days. After all, Urgebadze’s canonization took place in 2014.

Both images are waist-length. Zhgenti was especially able to accurately convey the character of the elder: a kind look, a smile hidden under a gray beard, with his right hand Saint Gabriel blesses the people.

The second icon depicts the saint in a monastic robe with a blue cloak thrown over it. In the hands of the monk is the Chalice of Communion and a spoon.

There are full-length images of Saint Gabriel in a black robe, with a cross and an icon of the Virgin Mary on his chest, one hand frozen in a blessing gesture, the other clutching a staff. In the background are Georgian landscapes.

Modern icon painters have tried to convey in their works as much as possible the human qualities of St. Gabriel that the righteous man possessed. And it should be noted that many actually succeeded.