Hieromartyr 7th century

Hieromartyr Neophytus of Urbnisi

7th century

Also known as Neophytus of Georgia

A Georgian hierarch descended from Persian fire-worshippers who was martyred during the Saracen attacks on Georgia.

Feast Day

October 28

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Commemorated as

The Holy Hieromartyr Neophytus, Bishop of Urbnisi

Life

Neophytus of Urbnisi was a 7th-century Georgian hierarch and martyr commemorated on October 28. Descended from Persian fire-worshippers, he was a convert to Christianity who rose to become bishop of Urbnisi in central Georgia and was killed by pagan fire-worshippers during a period of Saracen incursions into the country.

According to tradition, he had originally been an Arab military commander named Omar, taking part in a 7th-century invasion of Georgia. Converted and baptized with the name Neophytus, meaning 'Newly Planted,' he abandoned his military career, was ordained bishop, and devoted himself to pastoral and missionary work until he was stoned to death.

Timeline 5 moments Read Hide

7th century Saracen invasion of Georgia A Saracen military leader named Ahmad invaded Georgia with a large force under the emir Mumni's command, overtaking central Shida Kartli. Two commanders, Omar and Burul, were sent toward the capital Mtskheta but met difficulty crossing the Mtkvari River near Sarkineti.
7th century The vision at Shio-Mgvime Monastery Approaching Shio-Mgvime Monastery with a messenger announcing peaceful intentions and gifts of aloe and incense, the commander Omar witnessed, by tradition, a vision of an army of incorporeal hosts descending from the heavens, among them a radiant elder he recognized as Saint Shio, the monastery's founder and abbot.
7th century Baptism and conversion Moved by the monks' humility and his vision, Omar vowed to receive baptism and monastic tonsure. He was baptized and renamed Neophytus ('Newly Planted'); two of his slaves, baptized at the same time, were named Christodoulus and Christopher.
7th century Episcopate at Urbnisi The convert was ordained bishop of Urbnisi, where the synaxarion relates that he strengthened the weak, healed the sick, raised the fallen, and cleansed the possessed.
October 28 Martyrdom Pagan fire-worshippers, unable to tolerate his missionary work, ambushed his isolated cell and stoned him to death. By tradition his death echoed that of the Protomartyr Stephen, whom he longed to imitate.

Contributions & Legacy

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Conversion and Episcopate

Born of Persian fire-worshipping stock, Neophytus came to Christianity as an adult convert. Tradition identifies him with Omar, an Arab commander who took part in a 7th-century Saracen invasion of Georgia under the emir Mumni. When his column was sent toward Mtskheta and approached Shio-Mgvime Monastery, he is said to have experienced a vision of heavenly hosts led by the monastery's founder, Saint Shio, which moved him to seek baptism.

Baptized with the name Neophytus, 'Newly Planted,' he gave up his military career. Two of his slaves were baptized alongside him as Christodoulus and Christopher. He was subsequently ordained bishop of Urbnisi, and the synaxarion records his pastoral gifts in strengthening the weak, healing the sick, raising the fallen, and cleansing the possessed.

Martyrdom

Pagan fire-worshippers, resentful of his Christian missionary activity, ambushed Neophytus at his isolated cell and stoned him to death. The synaxarion preserves his final words: a declaration that death was sweet to him, and the prayer that the Lord Jesus Christ receive his soul. His martyrdom is likened to that of the Holy Protomartyr Stephen, whom he had longed to imitate. He is commemorated on October 28.

Urbnisi, the Episcopal See

Urbnisi is a village in Georgia's Shida Kartli region, in the Kareli district, on the high left bank of the Mtkvari River. In antiquity it was the second most important city of the Iberian Kingdom after Mtskheta and remains a site of major archaeological and religious significance. Its cathedral, a 6th–7th-century three-nave basilica later rebuilt in the 10th and 17th centuries, is the center of the Urbnisi-Ruisi eparchy of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

The Arab commander Marwan II captured the settlement in the 730s, after which the city declined to a small village, though the cathedral continued to function as a diocesan center. A major ecclesiastical council was convened at Urbnisi Monastery and the adjacent Ruisi Cathedral in 1103–1104 by King David the Builder.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints