George of Chqondidi

George of Chqondidi ( _ka. გიორგი ჭყონდიდელი, "Giorgi Chqondideli") (died c. 1118) was a Georgian churchman and court minister best known as a tutor and the closest adviser of King David IV of Georgia (r. 1089-1125).

He served as a archbishop of Chqondidi (Chqondideli) in west Georgia, and was appointed by David as the Grand Chancellor of Georgia (Mtsignobart’-Ukhutsesi) following the ecclesiastic council of Ruisi-Urbnisi of 1103. Henceforth this office, for a time the greatest at the Georgian court, was usually held by the incumbent archbishops of Chqondidi. Giorgi appeared as David’s key ally in his reforms of the church and state machinery.Suny, Ronald Grigor (1994), "The Making of the Georgian Nation", p. 35. Indiana University Press, ISBN 0253209153] He personally supervised successful efforts at recapturing the strongholds of Samshvilde (1110) and Rustavi (1115) from the Seljuk Turks. In 1118, he accompanied the king in his travel to the Kipchak lands to negotiate a recruitment of these nomad tribesmen in the royal army of Georgia. He was never to return to Georgia though, as he died in Alania around that year. [Lordkiphanidze, Mariam (1987), "Georgia in the XI-XII centuries", p. 84, Ganatleba, edited by George B. Hewitt. [http://www.georgianweb.com/history/mariam/chapter2.html (Online version)] ] His remains were transferred to the Gelati Monastery. On June 27 2005, George of Chqondidi was canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church which marks his feast day annually on September 12. [ge icon [http://www.eparchy-batumi.ge/?action=text/cm_giorgichkondideli წმ. გიორგი ჭყონდიდელი (St. Giorgi Chqondideli)] . The Georgian Orthodox Eparchy of Batumi. Accessed on February 13 2008.]

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