The Holy Martyrs David and Constantine, Princes of Argveti
Life
David and Constantine were brothers and princes of Argveti, a region of western Georgia, who lived during the 8th century, a period of severe disruption for the Georgian people. They are venerated as martyrs for their resistance to the Arab invasion of Georgia and their refusal to renounce the Christian faith under torture.
Their commemoration falls on October 2. By tradition their relics are preserved at the Motsameta monastery near Kutaisi, whose name means Monastery of the Martyrs.
Timeline 3 moments
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8th centuryResistance to the Arab invasionWhen the forces of Marwan ibn Muhammad, a military leader serving the Arab caliph and known to the Georgians as Marwan the Deaf, advanced into the region, the brothers assembled their armies. Georgian forces won an initial engagement after the enemy approached Argveti from Samtskhe and attacked on Persati Mountain.
8th centuryCapture and refusal to convertAfter the invader gathered a larger force, the Georgian army was defeated, and David and Constantine were captured and brought before Marwan. He ordered them beaten and then sought to induce their conversion to Islam through flattery and incentives, which both brothers refused.
8th centuryMartyrdomAccording to the synaxarion, after ten days of imprisonment and starvation the brothers were taken to a riverbank near the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, where heavy stones were hung from their necks and they were drowned.
Contributions & Legacy
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Historical Context
The brothers' death is set against the Arab invasion of Georgia led by Marwan ibn Muhammad, who would later become the last Umayyad caliph. Georgian historiography remembers the campaign as the Invasion of Marwan the Deaf. According to historical accounts the invasion swept across multiple Georgian regions, reaching as far west as Abkhazia before being checked at Anakopia.
In Argveti, the local rulers David and Constantine led armed resistance before being captured and executed near Kutaisi for refusing to abandon Christianity. The wider campaign gave the Arabs extensive control over Iberia and contributed to the establishment of the Emirate of Tbilisi.
Relics & Shrines
By tradition the bodies of the brothers were recovered and found incorrupt. During the reign of King Bagrat, dated to 1072 to 1117, the Monastery of the Martyrs, known in Georgian as Motsameta and situated near Kutaisi, was built over the site, where their relics are preserved and venerated.
