Saint Gregory Peradze
In the world of science was known as “Archimandrite Peradze”. He was born on September 13 (August 31 according to the Old Style calendar), 1899 in the village of Bakurtsikhe (Kakheti province) in Georgia. After the death of his father Romanos, the Orthodox pastor of Grigol’s hometown in 1905, the upbringing of the children was taken care by Grigol’s mother and Romanos’s brother, who was also a priest and pastor of the parish in Qvareli. One of Grigol’s ancestors had entered priesthood and this tradition had been passed down the generations, and Grigol was no exception. Subsequently, Grigol enrolled in the Theological School in Tbilisi, before continuing his studies at the Seminary. He graduated with distinction in 1918. In pre-revolutionary Russia, a diploma with honors gave him the right to enter any theological academy. However, the revolution and creation of the Democratic Republic of Georgia changed his plans. Instead of exploring theology, he undertook studies in the Faculty of Philology at the Tbilisi State University. Between 1919-1921, he completed military service and later taught at the school in the village of Manavi. He then returned to Tbilisi State University and with the help of Father Professor Korneli Kekelidze, an eminent specialist in the field of literature and Old Georgian liturgy, Grigol was allowed to pursue his studies further abroad.
At the end of October 1921, The Catholicosat Council of Georgia - chaired by Catholicos-Patriarch Ambrosi I - sent Grigol to Berlin where he was to receive a comprehensive theological education. In his efforts to continue his studies in Germany, he received great support from Dr. Johannes Lepsius - German Orientalist and scholar. Grigol later became a close family friend of Lepsius and many of his relatives.
Whilst in Berlin, his German gradually improved, and after passing relevant entry examinations, he was registered on May 12, 1922 at the Theological Faculty of the University of Berlin. There, under the guidance of professors Adolf von Harnack, Adolf Deissmann, Karl Holla and Bruno Meissner, Grigol concentrated on studying theology and oriental languages, such as Hebrew, Syrian, Arabic, Coptic, Armenian and Greek. At the same time, he also mastered Latin, German, English, French and Danish. (Besides, he knew the following languages: Russian, Georgian and Old Church Slavonic, and after 1933, quickly learnt Polish.) His studies at the University of Berlin were completed with the title of Candidate of Theology. At the end of 1924 at the instigation of Richard Meckeleina, Georgian language lecturer at the University of Berlin, Peradze turned to Professor Dr. Heinrich Goussen of Bonn – a great German Orientalist - for assistance in arranging for further studies. In addition, during the Christmas holidays of the same year, he spent two busy weeks in the private library of the same professor. When Grigol Peradze returned to Berlin, his friend and patron, Dr. Johannes Lepsius, advised him to transfer to the University of Bonn. Grigol arrived on April 29, 1925. At the Faculty of Philosophy, under the directions of Prof. Dr. Paul Kahle, Anton Baumstark and foremost professor Goussen, Grigol studied the history of religions and improved knowledge of oriental languages. At that time, he translated his own work on the biography of George the Hagiorite - a Georgian monk of Mount Athos who lived in the eleventh century, into German. Having written the critical introduction and footnotes, Grigol entitled this biography "The Life and Work of St. George Hagiorite" Later, persuaded by Dr. Lepsius, he extended this study (originally a Bachelor’s thesis) and ultimately presented it as a topic of his doctorate thesis entitled: “Geschichte des georgischen Mönchtums von ihren Anfängen bis zum Jahre 1064. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der orientalischen Mönchtums”. He received his PhD on February 26, 1926.
Analysis of the lives of the saint Georgian monks in the doctorate thesis allowed Grigol
to draw a number of conclusions that would lead to a greater understanding of the history of the Georgian monasticism.
For example, Grigol believed that the Georgian monasticism in its eremetical form was founded by the native people soon after the adoption of Christianity by Georgia in the fourth century. Grigol recognized that the foundation of community life came later, around the year 550, with the arrival of the "Thirteen Syrian Fathers" in Georgia. When the Syrians fled to Georgia because of persecution in their homeland, they began to construct new monasteries and the development of monastic life. Asceticism of the immigrants from Syria was characterized by their hostility towards the body: they paid no attention to food (bread and vegetables they ate, water they drank), clothing (they walked barefoot), and shelter (they lived in caves). They reinforced the Georgian orthodoxy and organized the system of monasteries thus: John of Zadazenia founded a monastery in Mtskheta, David - Monastery of Gareja , Szio - Monastery of Szio-Mgwime, Abibos became bishop of Nekresi, and Ize - Bishop of Cirkania.
After receiving his doctorate degree, Grigol Peradze studied in Brussels until April 1927 at the Bollandists and at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium , Later he worked for two months at the libraries of the British Museum and at Bodleian - the main library of the University of Oxford. He was then employed by the University of Bonn - first as a teacher of Armenian and Georgian languages, and after the death of Professor Goussen in 1927, as a Privatdozent. From then on, the name Grigol began to appear more frequently in various scientific journals. However, Grigol continued to research into Georgian monasticism, inter alia, the role of monasteries in the life of the Georgian Church and Eastern Christianity. He also repeatedly championed the hitherto unexplored area of the Coptic influence on the tradition of Christianity in Georgia. His superior knowledge presented in these articles instantly made him one of the most prominent experts on early Christianity in the Middle East. Prof. Julius Assfalg characterized the activities of Grigol in Bonn in an article devoted to Kartvelian studies in Germany:
"Georgian Studies gained a new momentum when the Georgian G. Peradze published his findings in his PhD thesis in Bonn on the origins of Georgian monasticism - findings which were mainly edited by A. Baumstark in the journal "Oriens christianus". "Oriens christianus" regularly deals with issues related to Georgia, and this follows in a long tradition that dates back to A. Baumstark, T. Kluge, H. Goussen, G. and M. Peradze Tarchniszwilli (...). Today, after the deaths of Goussen, Peradze, Baumstark and Deeters and after the transition of J. Molitor and K. Schmidt to other universities, the Georgian language in principle is no longer taught at the University of Bonn."
A similar opinion was expressed by Professor Hubert Kaufhold in the preface to the publication of Grigol Peradze’s article in "Oriens christianus" about the fate of Georgian culture. Grigol actively participated in the scientific life of Germany. Amongst other things, he gave the speech "Zur vorbyzantinischen Liturgie Georgiens" at the Fifth Conference of the German Oriental in Bonn in 1928, as well as "Die Probleme der georgischen Evengelium überzetzung" at the Sixth German Conference Oriental in Vienna two years later. During that time Grigol focused his attention on pre-Byzantine Georgian liturgy, which resulted in several classical works on this subject, such as the translation into French of the Georgian version of the Liturgy of Apostle Peter. The Georgian Church was initially dependent on Antioch, which caused the transfer of The Antiochian and Jerusalem traditions. Adoption of the Byzantine Rite came a result of close relations with Byzantium and this took place in the late tenth century, mainly due to translations done by Euthymius and George the Hagiorites at the Athos. However, traces of the pre-Byzantine tradition have been preserved until the present day in Georgia. For example, the liturgical monuments show that originally the Liturgy of Saint James the Apostle was celebrated. Likewise, the Liturgy of the Apostle Peter at a later date. Troparions and the Georgian idiomele do not correspond to any known Greek text, which indicates that they are of Jerusalem origin. A large number of canons matins has a second song, which disappeared in the Byzantine tradition.
In 1931, Grigol Peradze received monastic vows in the Greek Cathedral in Paris and was ordained as a priest. This came about as the result of a spiritual experience during a severe illness, which he described in the poem "Cherubim Hymn":
"Today I grasped the past, I felt what was there to come upon me,
The judgement was announced, I became a slave to death (...).
Stay with your people, become a bridge to heaven (...)
The seal of silence you should remove from your lips,
And become a patron to the children of Kartlos ( ...).
You are ready to die, to be destroyed,
Fire is your fate. "
In Paris Peradze made contacts with the Georgian community and settled there permanently. He participated in the organization of the parish, and was later appointed as its first pastor. It was at that time that he began to issue an academic annual called "Dshvari vathisa", which literally means "Cross made of the vine sprig." As the editor of this journal, most of the published work were his own writings. However, with an increasing workload in his own parish, he resigned from teaching at the University of Bonn in 1932.
Grigol also harboured ambitions of becoming a lecturer at the theological school. The desire materialized in 1933 when the Metropolitan Dionysius (Waledyński) invited him to Warsaw, and offered him the position of assistant professor and deputy director of the Patrology Seminary at the School of Orthodox Theology at the University of Warsaw.
On December 7, 1933 he gave a lecture on "The concept, objectives and methods of Patrology in Orthodox theology." He highlighted its special place in the practice of theology, postulated that in addition to the Greek and Latin patrology, other East-Christian literature was taught, and that research was conducted in accordance with the methodology of scientific work. In January 1934, in the Greek Cathedral of St. Sophia in London Priest Grigol received the dignity of archimandrite. In the academic year 1934/1935 , he delivered a series of lectures called "Introduction to theological science" to all students of Orthodox Theology in Warsaw. Metropolitan Dionysius, who was the director of the study, filed a proposal to grant the title of associate professor to Grigol, and this idea was also supported by the rector of the university. However, the authorities were simply not interested in the development of Orthodox theology. Furthermore, Grigol Peradze did not have a Polish citizenship. But despite these setbacks, Grigol continued to work with full devotion to the good of the Polish Orthodox Church. He had a modest apartment at st. Brukowa 21 m 11 (currently ul. Okrzei) in Warsaw. He also took time out to help the less advantaged, in particular poor students.
During this period, Peradze completed a series of scientific journeys between July 14 and September 22, 1935. He stayed in Romania, Greece (Thessalonica and Mount Athos) and Bulgaria. At Athos he managed to retrieve 50 Georgian books and 13 manuscripts, such as the "Apophtegmata Patrum", the works of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and apocryphal lives of the saints. In addition, he found the Greek versions of the martyrdom of the martyrs of Vilnius: Anthony, John and Eustace. In the National Library in Sofia, he came across the Georgian text of the Typikon by the great Western domesticus, George Bakuriani. Bakuriani, who lived in the eleventh century, founded the monastery of Petriconi only for the Georgians, and the Typikon was written in Georgian, Greek and Armenian. The text of the Typikon that Peradze discovered was a copy of the original, drawn up in 1702.
Between July and September 1936, Peradze travelled to the Holy Land and Syria. He brought with him Georgian palimpsests from between the sixth-seventh century, as well as an impressive collection of photographs and documents. He published his memories of the trip in the journal "Słowo" in 1938 and in the "Wiadomości Metropolii Prawosławnej w Polsce” in 1939.
During late 1937 and early 1938, Peradze studied the works of Dionysius the Areopagite in Italy (Florence, Naples, Venice and Rome) Later in the National Library in Paris, he worked on "Apology" of Tatian. Whilst there and subsequently in another Austrian library, he came across the Georgian version of the hearing St. George the Theologian "A Dialogue with St. Basil. " It should be noted that his first scientific discovery was that of the Georgian apocryfic text, in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, “Letter to Dionysius the Areopagite Timothy to the Bishop of Ephesus on the Martyrdom of the Apostles Peter and Paul. " Further, he also found the Georgian translation of the "Didache" in Paris, and the text dates back to the VIII - X century.
In 1937, along with Professor Giorgi Nakashidze, Fr. Peradze actively participated in the preparations for the jubilee celebrations of Shota Rustaveli, the twelfth-century Georgian poet and author of the Georgian national epic "Vepkhistkaosani" ("The Knight in Panther's Skin"). Fr. Grigol not only delivered lectures in Warsaw, Krakow and Lvov, but - according to unconfirmed information – also helped to translate this text together wth this was the time Józef and Professor Nakashidze and Fr Grigol.
On the occasion of the jubilee Fr Peradze published the article "Religion of Shota Rustaveli," in which he wrote: "There is an opinion that at the end of his life Rustaveli was a monk. Personally, I think that if he indeed became a monk, it was before writing this piece. A man who wrote this poem, would suffer martyrdom in defense of their beliefs, rather than locking themselves up in the walls of the monastery." Meanwhile, it was widely believed that Shota Rustaveli joined the monastery at the end of his life. This was backed up by the discovery in 1960 in the Dshvari monastery in Jerusalem of a portrait of the poet which depicts an aged Rustaveli, dressed in typical court costumes of the first half of the thirteenth century. This alone would confirm Fr Peradze’s hypothesis that a youthful Rustaveli was probably a pupil at the convent school where he gained his extensive knowledge of the Bible, the Koran, as well as on philosophy and literature, as reflected in the poem " Vepkhistkaosani"
An area that deserves special attention is the scientific work of Fr Peradze and his interest in the publication (for example, chronicles of the monastery of St. John the Baptist), or translations of sources (for example, the apocryphal the Georgian monophysitist Gospel) as – Peradze believed that these texts allow for a better understanding of the history of early Christianity. Fr. Peradze was also interested in publishing directories of Georgian manuscripts in England (this, in turn, allows us to get to understand the history of translations of works of the Fathers of the Church), and the reports of the pilgrims on Georgian monasticism in the Holy Land but also – crucially - a directory of the translations of early Christian literature into Georgian. This directory was a German adaptation of the work of Prof. Kornel Kekelidze, and was published in Georgian that was entitled "Foreign authors in the ancient Georgian literature."
The scientific achievements of Fr. Peradze are therefore very impressive and every item is of value to the community at large. Numerous published reviews in which Peradze often contributed to the contents of the reviewed books or engaged in polemics with the authors, are further evidence of his extraordinary erudition. Also, works that can be defined as dissemination also contain many valuable data, hypotheses and formulations on various aspects of both the Church's life, the history of Georgia and Georgian paganism. For example, when examining the cult of St. George in Georgia and its links with paganism, Fr. Peradze disputes Ivan Dshavakhishvili’s (1876-1940) argument that the cult of the saint in Georgia is a continuation of the cult of the moon. Instead, Father Peradze considers that the main deity of Georgia was a pagan sun.
At the outbreak of the war, Fr Grigol led a variety of scientific activities, belonged to numerous national and international organizations, he served many functions:
- Assistant Professor and Deputy Head of a Seminar in Patrology at the School of Orthodox Theology at the University of Warsaw
- Member of the Oriental Studies Commission at Warsaw Scientific Society,
- Member of the Commission on "Faith and Order" (Geneva),
- Member of the Polish team at the World Association of Friendly Co-operation of the Churches
- Member of the Polish branch of Practical Christianity ("The Stockholm Movement"),
- Member of „Anglican and Eastern Church Association” (London)
- Parson of a Georgian parish in Paris
- Editor of the scientific yearbook "Dshvari vathisa" (Paris)
- Chaplain to the Georgian immigration in Poland
- Member of the committee on translation of liturgical books into Polish,
- Honorary member of the Orthodox Brotherhood of Theologians in Poland
- Chairman of the Circle of Students of Orthodox Theology, Warsaw University and head of the scientific section,
- Member of the Polish Society of Oriental Studies.
After September 1939 Fr. Peradze remained in Warsaw. He provided shelter for one of the Georgian contract officers, Cpt Kavtaradze in his apartment. Fearful of a detention, Fr. Peradze asked a friend to obtain the necessary documents for the captain."
Fr. Grigol Peradze was arrested by the Gestapo in his apartment, probably on May 5, 1942.
The immediate reason for the arrest was provocation and denounciation. Further details came to light during an interview with Giorgi Nakashidze:
"Someone denounced him.... I know that his diary was delivered daily to the Gestapo, I know their names. This is our shame... But now you do not need this...
Several officers who served in the Polish army - some of whom Georgians by birth - were summoned. And the three officers whom I personally knew, said that everything was so badly-scribbled that much cannot be read, and refused, but after all there will always be enemies and there have been enemies of the unfortunate .... "
This is also confirmed by Sewdia Daredshan (Aka)-Ugrekhelidze Lukac: "I find it difficult (...) to add something to what has already been stated several times, and I always heard from my father who is still in Warsaw, namely, that of A. and K. who lay in wait for Peradze and were guilty of causing imprisonment and death. My father was sure that it was not just about personal animosities, as A. went over to the enemy or that Peradze was with us, but that (he) had his eye on the Peradze’s precious books and incunabula. Perhaps he also wanted to have all that was kept for those who were on the run or imprisoned, for example, Jews and others prosecuted in mortal danger by the occupation forces, which he clearly (...) knew about. "
A similar description can also be found in the ‘indictment’ drawn up after World War II by the Georgian contract officers:
"If A. could easily trade the heads of unarmed prisoners of war and Jews, it was not so easy to accuse and arrest Archimandrite Peradze on the basis of mere denunciation. It was necessary to justify the charges against him, and here's how he deceived Archimandrite Peradze. They photograph documents, sent from the Gestapo, and using Peradze’s servant, a man named BM, they hide those photos in a hole made at the back of an icon in Peradze’s room. A. then denounces Peradze as an English spy, who photographed the secret documents for the British, and informs the Gestapo of the storage site.
The Gestapo conducts a search in the apartment and finds the photographs. Peradze is then imprisoned in the camp, where he died after 18 days of brutal treatment. BM receives good pay from A. and currently lives in Argentina. All this was written based on the testimony of the Georgian soldiers serving in the Polish army who are now staying in London."
After the arrest, Fr. Peradze was imprisoned at the Pawiak Prison in Warsaw. His fate in the Pawiak is revealed in memoirs of those who were also at the prison. Prison writer Leon Wanat noted down personal details, and sent prisoner to the cell at the transition division VII, located in the basement. Peradze stayed at ward VII lasted for about 14 days, after that he was transferred to ward V which is called the transport ward, located on the second floor. He was used as a translator. At the beginning of October 1942 Peradze was transferred to the working division of No. 186 (called "arbeitzelą") where he was also a translator. Some of these accounts were discovered in 1986 at the Archives of the Orthodox Metropolitan of Warsaw, and these helped to retrace some of the events which occurred during Peradze’s incarceration. In addition, a few years ago the archives unveiled an envelope with documents belonging to the Father, amongst which was the original death certificate (Sterbeurkunde) in German, issued by Standestamt Auschwitz.
These documents allow us to reconstruct some details from the last days of Fr Peradze’s life. First of all, it is revealed that he was arrested during early May 1942, most likely on the 5th. Following his imprisonment, the dean of the Warsaw district, Fr. Protopriest John Kowalenko, sealed Peradze’s apartment. This took place at 4pm on May 5. On May 28, 1942, at the request of German police, Fr. Kowalenko, assisted by Deacon George Berkman-Karenin, removed the seals from the apartment The police seized some money (in both American and British currencies) which was hidden in a secret closet, however. This would indirectly confirm the supposition that Fr Peradze kept the money of the Jewish people in his apartment for safekeeping.
Whilst still in Pawiak, Peradze authorized his friend, Deacon George Berkman-Karenin, to go to his apartment in Brukowa Street on June 10, 1942. At his request, some underwear and a summer coat were retrieved from the apartment with the aim of sending them to the imprisoned priest..
Another well-preserved document is a copy of the letter Fr. Peradze sent on June 20, 1942 to the deacon Berkman-Karenin. This letter is actually his last will, and Peradze delivered a number of instructions regarding his personal property. It says, inter alia: "... to please provide furnished apartment to someone from the Consistory. (...) If I am not let free, please give my library to the Metropolia, things should be sold and the proceeds devoted to our parish orphanage in Wola. (...) My Georgian books and documents (including images) after the war, should be sent by the Metropolia to the Georgian Church .... "
Despite the very difficult situation, the Orthodox Church made numerous efforts to secure the release of Fr Grigol Peradze. It provided him with specific food and material aid, as seen from a letter to the deacon Berkman-Karenin. Professor Giorgi Nakashidze, at the request of the Metropolitan Dionysius, also intervened with the German authorities on the case of Fr. Peradze but to no avail.
It is likely that Grigol was transported to the concentration camp of Auschwitz on November 18, 1942. Further attempts to release the prisoner proved fruitless. On December 11, 1942, the commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, sent a telegram message to deacon Berkman-Karenin with the news that Father Grigol Peradze had died in the camp on December 6 at 16.45.
At the request of church authorities, the Camp Registry Office sent out an official death certificate. This was confirmed in the acts of the Government Delegation for Poland: "Auschwitz Camp. Fr. Professor Grigol Peradze was arrested and died after a few weeks’ imprisonment shortly . UJP Faculty. Theologian. , Law, Georgian, an eminent specialist. "
In 1945, two former concentration camp inmates, whose identities have not been established, presented an oral statement to the Orthodox Metropolitan in Warsaw that Father Grigol Peradze volunteered to admit to have stolen some bread for his inmates, thus saving the whole detachment. Unfortunately, this statement was either not recorded or has been lost, or maybe it has yet to be discovered.
In a letter to Patriarch Alexius I of 1 February 1946, Metropolitan Dionysius wrote: "... Professor of Theology of our Section, Ph.D., Archimandrite Grigol Peradze, Georgian, a graduate of the seminary in Tbilisi, followed by the universities of Bonn and Oxford, a multi-linguist expert in –Russian, Georgian, French, German and English, was arrested and deported to Auschwitz and was executed there",. This is likely to be attributed to information provided by these two former prisoners of Auschwitz.
Grigol Peradze’s death certificate in German.
The death of father Grigol continues to elude hagiographers and historians alike. Did he sacrifice his life for another man, admitting to the uncomitted theft of bread, and was then shot, or sent to the gas chamber?
As Bishop Anthony Bloom wrote: " No one has greater love than he who lays down his life for his friend " - these words characterized the ideal of the Gospel and was shown as the only precise Gospel way of life. Too often are the words of the Saviour retold as to how a Christian should die. But in this case, it refers to life itself: "to lay down one’s life", to donate, devote to the neighbor. Above all, it means to live for Him, to live a decent day-to-day life, to live with persistence , to shoulder the burden of life - the whole life – and not just your own but strangers’ too (if that word can ever be used because, after all, we can never be "strangers” in relation to the others, as we, without exception, are all "kindred"). And when one’s love ends in death by sacrificing one's life, then that is a triumph and victory of life. "
Shortly after World War II, the Georgian Orthodox Church began the process of canonising Fr. Grigol Peradze. Much later, preparations for the first scientific session began - dedicated to the memory of Fr Peradze - on the 45th anniversary of his death on 6 December, 1987. Work on the life and legacy of Grigol Peradzego began to gather momentum. The documentary director Rezo Tabukashvili also came to Warsaw to make a documentary about Archimandrite, having collected a wealth of material on the life and activities of Father Grigol, inter alia, statements from people who knew him. It was thanks to Tabukashvili that the story of the arrest was largely explained. Professor Giorgi Nakashidze, who was a lecturer at the Warsaw University in the interwar period and a friend of Grigol’s father, gave Tabukashvili some important documents from the Second World War and the immediate period that followed. It was through this collection of materials and testimony of witnesses which allowed for the canonization of Grigol Peradze to proceed. The event took place on 19 September,1995 under the auspices of the local council of the Georgian Church when Fr Peradze was declared a "holy martyr." The Act of the canonization was proclaimed by Catholicos-Patriarch Elijah II in the cathedral of Svetitskhoveli, in Mtskheta: "In the name of the Father, and Son and the Holy Spirit, and the holy council of the Autocephalous Georgian Orthodox Church I announce Father Archimandrite Grigol Peradzego canonized as a saint and henceforth he will be called addressed a saint priest martyr. Amen.”
The service and the life of St. Grigol was depicted by Fr. Henryk Paprocki, a the basic iconographic type has been developed by Michał Pieczonko, other icons were made by: Ludmila Lubach, Michał Bogucki, and Irakli Tsintsadze. The memorial day of Saint Grigol is December 6.
The University of Warsaw has organised an annual caucasology sessions of the in name of St. Grigol Peradzego since 2002
In Warsaw, the brotherhood of the Orthodox Church was founded in his honour in 1998 (it organises pilgrimages to holy places in Georgia). A similar fraternity was established in 2002 in Georgia (it recently published a life of St. Grigol Peradze in Georgian and English languages).
In 1999, the Polish Medical Association was founded in Georgia in tribute to Grigol Peradzego. Eight years earlier, the St Grigol Peradzego University was opened in Tbilisi (on 4 Jiqia Street), and one of the streets nearby was renamed in his honour in 2008, and the site was designated for the constuction of churches which were to be dedicated to him. In 2005, the International Commission for the Heritage of St. Grigol Peradzego (Polish-Georgian) was founded, and began to issue Archimandrite’s works in Polish, Georgian, German and English.
In Poland in 2007, a chapel was founded in honour of martyr Grigol archimandrite (Warsaw, ul. Wilcza 31; temporary headquarters), and in 2009, construction began on a church which would be dedicated to him in Bialystok.
On 18 October 2005, on the memorial day of St. Grigol Chandzteli, a Building Committee of the Georgian Church was constituted in Warsaw.
Martyr.Peradze played an important role not only in the history of Polish science, but also contributed to the world’s theological science. This can be confirmed by the numerous references to Peradze’s works by scholars from various fields, such as Andre Tarby, Julius Assfalga, Paul Kruger and the Clavis Patrum Graecorum. Peradze’s academic work has also received high scores in studies on the status of Kartvelian Studies in Germany.
Developed by Fr. Henryk Paprocki
All images and documents contained in this report come from the archives of the Warsaw Metropolitan Church.
Most importantly, Fr Grigol reiterates the command of Christ: " There is no greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend."
translated by Bartłomiej Major and Marta Nazarczuk-Błońska
Visit to Germany
At the end of October 1921, The Catholicosat Council of Georgia - chaired by Catholicos-Patriarch Ambrosi I - sent Grigol to Berlin where he was to receive a comprehensive theological education. In his efforts to continue his studies in Germany, he received great support from Dr. Johannes Lepsius - German Orientalist and scholar. Grigol later became a close family friend of Lepsius and many of his relatives.
Whilst in Berlin, his German gradually improved, and after passing relevant entry examinations, he was registered on May 12, 1922 at the Theological Faculty of the University of Berlin. There, under the guidance of professors Adolf von Harnack, Adolf Deissmann, Karl Holla and Bruno Meissner, Grigol concentrated on studying theology and oriental languages, such as Hebrew, Syrian, Arabic, Coptic, Armenian and Greek. At the same time, he also mastered Latin, German, English, French and Danish. (Besides, he knew the following languages: Russian, Georgian and Old Church Slavonic, and after 1933, quickly learnt Polish.) His studies at the University of Berlin were completed with the title of Candidate of Theology. At the end of 1924 at the instigation of Richard Meckeleina, Georgian language lecturer at the University of Berlin, Peradze turned to Professor Dr. Heinrich Goussen of Bonn – a great German Orientalist - for assistance in arranging for further studies. In addition, during the Christmas holidays of the same year, he spent two busy weeks in the private library of the same professor. When Grigol Peradze returned to Berlin, his friend and patron, Dr. Johannes Lepsius, advised him to transfer to the University of Bonn. Grigol arrived on April 29, 1925. At the Faculty of Philosophy, under the directions of Prof. Dr. Paul Kahle, Anton Baumstark and foremost professor Goussen, Grigol studied the history of religions and improved knowledge of oriental languages. At that time, he translated his own work on the biography of George the Hagiorite - a Georgian monk of Mount Athos who lived in the eleventh century, into German. Having written the critical introduction and footnotes, Grigol entitled this biography "The Life and Work of St. George Hagiorite" Later, persuaded by Dr. Lepsius, he extended this study (originally a Bachelor’s thesis) and ultimately presented it as a topic of his doctorate thesis entitled: “Geschichte des georgischen Mönchtums von ihren Anfängen bis zum Jahre 1064. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der orientalischen Mönchtums”. He received his PhD on February 26, 1926.
Analysis of the lives of the saint Georgian monks in the doctorate thesis allowed Grigol
to draw a number of conclusions that would lead to a greater understanding of the history of the Georgian monasticism.
For example, Grigol believed that the Georgian monasticism in its eremetical form was founded by the native people soon after the adoption of Christianity by Georgia in the fourth century. Grigol recognized that the foundation of community life came later, around the year 550, with the arrival of the "Thirteen Syrian Fathers" in Georgia. When the Syrians fled to Georgia because of persecution in their homeland, they began to construct new monasteries and the development of monastic life. Asceticism of the immigrants from Syria was characterized by their hostility towards the body: they paid no attention to food (bread and vegetables they ate, water they drank), clothing (they walked barefoot), and shelter (they lived in caves). They reinforced the Georgian orthodoxy and organized the system of monasteries thus: John of Zadazenia founded a monastery in Mtskheta, David - Monastery of Gareja , Szio - Monastery of Szio-Mgwime, Abibos became bishop of Nekresi, and Ize - Bishop of Cirkania.
Further research work
After receiving his doctorate degree, Grigol Peradze studied in Brussels until April 1927 at the Bollandists and at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium , Later he worked for two months at the libraries of the British Museum and at Bodleian - the main library of the University of Oxford. He was then employed by the University of Bonn - first as a teacher of Armenian and Georgian languages, and after the death of Professor Goussen in 1927, as a Privatdozent. From then on, the name Grigol began to appear more frequently in various scientific journals. However, Grigol continued to research into Georgian monasticism, inter alia, the role of monasteries in the life of the Georgian Church and Eastern Christianity. He also repeatedly championed the hitherto unexplored area of the Coptic influence on the tradition of Christianity in Georgia. His superior knowledge presented in these articles instantly made him one of the most prominent experts on early Christianity in the Middle East. Prof. Julius Assfalg characterized the activities of Grigol in Bonn in an article devoted to Kartvelian studies in Germany:
"Georgian Studies gained a new momentum when the Georgian G. Peradze published his findings in his PhD thesis in Bonn on the origins of Georgian monasticism - findings which were mainly edited by A. Baumstark in the journal "Oriens christianus". "Oriens christianus" regularly deals with issues related to Georgia, and this follows in a long tradition that dates back to A. Baumstark, T. Kluge, H. Goussen, G. and M. Peradze Tarchniszwilli (...). Today, after the deaths of Goussen, Peradze, Baumstark and Deeters and after the transition of J. Molitor and K. Schmidt to other universities, the Georgian language in principle is no longer taught at the University of Bonn."
A similar opinion was expressed by Professor Hubert Kaufhold in the preface to the publication of Grigol Peradze’s article in "Oriens christianus" about the fate of Georgian culture. Grigol actively participated in the scientific life of Germany. Amongst other things, he gave the speech "Zur vorbyzantinischen Liturgie Georgiens" at the Fifth Conference of the German Oriental in Bonn in 1928, as well as "Die Probleme der georgischen Evengelium überzetzung" at the Sixth German Conference Oriental in Vienna two years later. During that time Grigol focused his attention on pre-Byzantine Georgian liturgy, which resulted in several classical works on this subject, such as the translation into French of the Georgian version of the Liturgy of Apostle Peter. The Georgian Church was initially dependent on Antioch, which caused the transfer of The Antiochian and Jerusalem traditions. Adoption of the Byzantine Rite came a result of close relations with Byzantium and this took place in the late tenth century, mainly due to translations done by Euthymius and George the Hagiorites at the Athos. However, traces of the pre-Byzantine tradition have been preserved until the present day in Georgia. For example, the liturgical monuments show that originally the Liturgy of Saint James the Apostle was celebrated. Likewise, the Liturgy of the Apostle Peter at a later date. Troparions and the Georgian idiomele do not correspond to any known Greek text, which indicates that they are of Jerusalem origin. A large number of canons matins has a second song, which disappeared in the Byzantine tradition.
Ordination and arrival in Poland
In 1931, Grigol Peradze received monastic vows in the Greek Cathedral in Paris and was ordained as a priest. This came about as the result of a spiritual experience during a severe illness, which he described in the poem "Cherubim Hymn":
"Today I grasped the past, I felt what was there to come upon me,
The judgement was announced, I became a slave to death (...).
Stay with your people, become a bridge to heaven (...)
The seal of silence you should remove from your lips,
And become a patron to the children of Kartlos ( ...).
You are ready to die, to be destroyed,
Fire is your fate. "
In Paris Peradze made contacts with the Georgian community and settled there permanently. He participated in the organization of the parish, and was later appointed as its first pastor. It was at that time that he began to issue an academic annual called "Dshvari vathisa", which literally means "Cross made of the vine sprig." As the editor of this journal, most of the published work were his own writings. However, with an increasing workload in his own parish, he resigned from teaching at the University of Bonn in 1932.
Grigol also harboured ambitions of becoming a lecturer at the theological school. The desire materialized in 1933 when the Metropolitan Dionysius (Waledyński) invited him to Warsaw, and offered him the position of assistant professor and deputy director of the Patrology Seminary at the School of Orthodox Theology at the University of Warsaw.
On December 7, 1933 he gave a lecture on "The concept, objectives and methods of Patrology in Orthodox theology." He highlighted its special place in the practice of theology, postulated that in addition to the Greek and Latin patrology, other East-Christian literature was taught, and that research was conducted in accordance with the methodology of scientific work. In January 1934, in the Greek Cathedral of St. Sophia in London Priest Grigol received the dignity of archimandrite. In the academic year 1934/1935 , he delivered a series of lectures called "Introduction to theological science" to all students of Orthodox Theology in Warsaw. Metropolitan Dionysius, who was the director of the study, filed a proposal to grant the title of associate professor to Grigol, and this idea was also supported by the rector of the university. However, the authorities were simply not interested in the development of Orthodox theology. Furthermore, Grigol Peradze did not have a Polish citizenship. But despite these setbacks, Grigol continued to work with full devotion to the good of the Polish Orthodox Church. He had a modest apartment at st. Brukowa 21 m 11 (currently ul. Okrzei) in Warsaw. He also took time out to help the less advantaged, in particular poor students.
Research in other countries
During this period, Peradze completed a series of scientific journeys between July 14 and September 22, 1935. He stayed in Romania, Greece (Thessalonica and Mount Athos) and Bulgaria. At Athos he managed to retrieve 50 Georgian books and 13 manuscripts, such as the "Apophtegmata Patrum", the works of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and apocryphal lives of the saints. In addition, he found the Greek versions of the martyrdom of the martyrs of Vilnius: Anthony, John and Eustace. In the National Library in Sofia, he came across the Georgian text of the Typikon by the great Western domesticus, George Bakuriani. Bakuriani, who lived in the eleventh century, founded the monastery of Petriconi only for the Georgians, and the Typikon was written in Georgian, Greek and Armenian. The text of the Typikon that Peradze discovered was a copy of the original, drawn up in 1702.
Between July and September 1936, Peradze travelled to the Holy Land and Syria. He brought with him Georgian palimpsests from between the sixth-seventh century, as well as an impressive collection of photographs and documents. He published his memories of the trip in the journal "Słowo" in 1938 and in the "Wiadomości Metropolii Prawosławnej w Polsce” in 1939.
During late 1937 and early 1938, Peradze studied the works of Dionysius the Areopagite in Italy (Florence, Naples, Venice and Rome) Later in the National Library in Paris, he worked on "Apology" of Tatian. Whilst there and subsequently in another Austrian library, he came across the Georgian version of the hearing St. George the Theologian "A Dialogue with St. Basil. " It should be noted that his first scientific discovery was that of the Georgian apocryfic text, in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, “Letter to Dionysius the Areopagite Timothy to the Bishop of Ephesus on the Martyrdom of the Apostles Peter and Paul. " Further, he also found the Georgian translation of the "Didache" in Paris, and the text dates back to the VIII - X century.
Further activities in Poland
In 1937, along with Professor Giorgi Nakashidze, Fr. Peradze actively participated in the preparations for the jubilee celebrations of Shota Rustaveli, the twelfth-century Georgian poet and author of the Georgian national epic "Vepkhistkaosani" ("The Knight in Panther's Skin"). Fr. Grigol not only delivered lectures in Warsaw, Krakow and Lvov, but - according to unconfirmed information – also helped to translate this text together wth this was the time Józef and Professor Nakashidze and Fr Grigol.
On the occasion of the jubilee Fr Peradze published the article "Religion of Shota Rustaveli," in which he wrote: "There is an opinion that at the end of his life Rustaveli was a monk. Personally, I think that if he indeed became a monk, it was before writing this piece. A man who wrote this poem, would suffer martyrdom in defense of their beliefs, rather than locking themselves up in the walls of the monastery." Meanwhile, it was widely believed that Shota Rustaveli joined the monastery at the end of his life. This was backed up by the discovery in 1960 in the Dshvari monastery in Jerusalem of a portrait of the poet which depicts an aged Rustaveli, dressed in typical court costumes of the first half of the thirteenth century. This alone would confirm Fr Peradze’s hypothesis that a youthful Rustaveli was probably a pupil at the convent school where he gained his extensive knowledge of the Bible, the Koran, as well as on philosophy and literature, as reflected in the poem " Vepkhistkaosani"
Scientific achievements
An area that deserves special attention is the scientific work of Fr Peradze and his interest in the publication (for example, chronicles of the monastery of St. John the Baptist), or translations of sources (for example, the apocryphal the Georgian monophysitist Gospel) as – Peradze believed that these texts allow for a better understanding of the history of early Christianity. Fr. Peradze was also interested in publishing directories of Georgian manuscripts in England (this, in turn, allows us to get to understand the history of translations of works of the Fathers of the Church), and the reports of the pilgrims on Georgian monasticism in the Holy Land but also – crucially - a directory of the translations of early Christian literature into Georgian. This directory was a German adaptation of the work of Prof. Kornel Kekelidze, and was published in Georgian that was entitled "Foreign authors in the ancient Georgian literature."
The scientific achievements of Fr. Peradze are therefore very impressive and every item is of value to the community at large. Numerous published reviews in which Peradze often contributed to the contents of the reviewed books or engaged in polemics with the authors, are further evidence of his extraordinary erudition. Also, works that can be defined as dissemination also contain many valuable data, hypotheses and formulations on various aspects of both the Church's life, the history of Georgia and Georgian paganism. For example, when examining the cult of St. George in Georgia and its links with paganism, Fr. Peradze disputes Ivan Dshavakhishvili’s (1876-1940) argument that the cult of the saint in Georgia is a continuation of the cult of the moon. Instead, Father Peradze considers that the main deity of Georgia was a pagan sun.
The outbreak of World War II
At the outbreak of the war, Fr Grigol led a variety of scientific activities, belonged to numerous national and international organizations, he served many functions:
- Assistant Professor and Deputy Head of a Seminar in Patrology at the School of Orthodox Theology at the University of Warsaw
- Member of the Oriental Studies Commission at Warsaw Scientific Society,
- Member of the Commission on "Faith and Order" (Geneva),
- Member of the Polish team at the World Association of Friendly Co-operation of the Churches
- Member of the Polish branch of Practical Christianity ("The Stockholm Movement"),
- Member of „Anglican and Eastern Church Association” (London)
- Parson of a Georgian parish in Paris
- Editor of the scientific yearbook "Dshvari vathisa" (Paris)
- Chaplain to the Georgian immigration in Poland
- Member of the committee on translation of liturgical books into Polish,
- Honorary member of the Orthodox Brotherhood of Theologians in Poland
- Chairman of the Circle of Students of Orthodox Theology, Warsaw University and head of the scientific section,
- Member of the Polish Society of Oriental Studies.
After September 1939 Fr. Peradze remained in Warsaw. He provided shelter for one of the Georgian contract officers, Cpt Kavtaradze in his apartment. Fearful of a detention, Fr. Peradze asked a friend to obtain the necessary documents for the captain."
Arrest
Fr. Grigol Peradze was arrested by the Gestapo in his apartment, probably on May 5, 1942.
The immediate reason for the arrest was provocation and denounciation. Further details came to light during an interview with Giorgi Nakashidze:
"Someone denounced him.... I know that his diary was delivered daily to the Gestapo, I know their names. This is our shame... But now you do not need this...
Several officers who served in the Polish army - some of whom Georgians by birth - were summoned. And the three officers whom I personally knew, said that everything was so badly-scribbled that much cannot be read, and refused, but after all there will always be enemies and there have been enemies of the unfortunate .... "
This is also confirmed by Sewdia Daredshan (Aka)-Ugrekhelidze Lukac: "I find it difficult (...) to add something to what has already been stated several times, and I always heard from my father who is still in Warsaw, namely, that of A. and K. who lay in wait for Peradze and were guilty of causing imprisonment and death. My father was sure that it was not just about personal animosities, as A. went over to the enemy or that Peradze was with us, but that (he) had his eye on the Peradze’s precious books and incunabula. Perhaps he also wanted to have all that was kept for those who were on the run or imprisoned, for example, Jews and others prosecuted in mortal danger by the occupation forces, which he clearly (...) knew about. "
A similar description can also be found in the ‘indictment’ drawn up after World War II by the Georgian contract officers:
"If A. could easily trade the heads of unarmed prisoners of war and Jews, it was not so easy to accuse and arrest Archimandrite Peradze on the basis of mere denunciation. It was necessary to justify the charges against him, and here's how he deceived Archimandrite Peradze. They photograph documents, sent from the Gestapo, and using Peradze’s servant, a man named BM, they hide those photos in a hole made at the back of an icon in Peradze’s room. A. then denounces Peradze as an English spy, who photographed the secret documents for the British, and informs the Gestapo of the storage site.
The Gestapo conducts a search in the apartment and finds the photographs. Peradze is then imprisoned in the camp, where he died after 18 days of brutal treatment. BM receives good pay from A. and currently lives in Argentina. All this was written based on the testimony of the Georgian soldiers serving in the Polish army who are now staying in London."
After the arrest, Fr. Peradze was imprisoned at the Pawiak Prison in Warsaw. His fate in the Pawiak is revealed in memoirs of those who were also at the prison. Prison writer Leon Wanat noted down personal details, and sent prisoner to the cell at the transition division VII, located in the basement. Peradze stayed at ward VII lasted for about 14 days, after that he was transferred to ward V which is called the transport ward, located on the second floor. He was used as a translator. At the beginning of October 1942 Peradze was transferred to the working division of No. 186 (called "arbeitzelą") where he was also a translator. Some of these accounts were discovered in 1986 at the Archives of the Orthodox Metropolitan of Warsaw, and these helped to retrace some of the events which occurred during Peradze’s incarceration. In addition, a few years ago the archives unveiled an envelope with documents belonging to the Father, amongst which was the original death certificate (Sterbeurkunde) in German, issued by Standestamt Auschwitz.
These documents allow us to reconstruct some details from the last days of Fr Peradze’s life. First of all, it is revealed that he was arrested during early May 1942, most likely on the 5th. Following his imprisonment, the dean of the Warsaw district, Fr. Protopriest John Kowalenko, sealed Peradze’s apartment. This took place at 4pm on May 5. On May 28, 1942, at the request of German police, Fr. Kowalenko, assisted by Deacon George Berkman-Karenin, removed the seals from the apartment The police seized some money (in both American and British currencies) which was hidden in a secret closet, however. This would indirectly confirm the supposition that Fr Peradze kept the money of the Jewish people in his apartment for safekeeping.
Whilst still in Pawiak, Peradze authorized his friend, Deacon George Berkman-Karenin, to go to his apartment in Brukowa Street on June 10, 1942. At his request, some underwear and a summer coat were retrieved from the apartment with the aim of sending them to the imprisoned priest..
Another well-preserved document is a copy of the letter Fr. Peradze sent on June 20, 1942 to the deacon Berkman-Karenin. This letter is actually his last will, and Peradze delivered a number of instructions regarding his personal property. It says, inter alia: "... to please provide furnished apartment to someone from the Consistory. (...) If I am not let free, please give my library to the Metropolia, things should be sold and the proceeds devoted to our parish orphanage in Wola. (...) My Georgian books and documents (including images) after the war, should be sent by the Metropolia to the Georgian Church .... "
Auschwitz
Despite the very difficult situation, the Orthodox Church made numerous efforts to secure the release of Fr Grigol Peradze. It provided him with specific food and material aid, as seen from a letter to the deacon Berkman-Karenin. Professor Giorgi Nakashidze, at the request of the Metropolitan Dionysius, also intervened with the German authorities on the case of Fr. Peradze but to no avail.
It is likely that Grigol was transported to the concentration camp of Auschwitz on November 18, 1942. Further attempts to release the prisoner proved fruitless. On December 11, 1942, the commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, sent a telegram message to deacon Berkman-Karenin with the news that Father Grigol Peradze had died in the camp on December 6 at 16.45.
At the request of church authorities, the Camp Registry Office sent out an official death certificate. This was confirmed in the acts of the Government Delegation for Poland: "Auschwitz Camp. Fr. Professor Grigol Peradze was arrested and died after a few weeks’ imprisonment shortly . UJP Faculty. Theologian. , Law, Georgian, an eminent specialist. "
In 1945, two former concentration camp inmates, whose identities have not been established, presented an oral statement to the Orthodox Metropolitan in Warsaw that Father Grigol Peradze volunteered to admit to have stolen some bread for his inmates, thus saving the whole detachment. Unfortunately, this statement was either not recorded or has been lost, or maybe it has yet to be discovered.
In a letter to Patriarch Alexius I of 1 February 1946, Metropolitan Dionysius wrote: "... Professor of Theology of our Section, Ph.D., Archimandrite Grigol Peradze, Georgian, a graduate of the seminary in Tbilisi, followed by the universities of Bonn and Oxford, a multi-linguist expert in –Russian, Georgian, French, German and English, was arrested and deported to Auschwitz and was executed there",. This is likely to be attributed to information provided by these two former prisoners of Auschwitz.
Grigol Peradze’s death certificate in German.
The death of father Grigol continues to elude hagiographers and historians alike. Did he sacrifice his life for another man, admitting to the uncomitted theft of bread, and was then shot, or sent to the gas chamber?
As Bishop Anthony Bloom wrote: " No one has greater love than he who lays down his life for his friend " - these words characterized the ideal of the Gospel and was shown as the only precise Gospel way of life. Too often are the words of the Saviour retold as to how a Christian should die. But in this case, it refers to life itself: "to lay down one’s life", to donate, devote to the neighbor. Above all, it means to live for Him, to live a decent day-to-day life, to live with persistence , to shoulder the burden of life - the whole life – and not just your own but strangers’ too (if that word can ever be used because, after all, we can never be "strangers” in relation to the others, as we, without exception, are all "kindred"). And when one’s love ends in death by sacrificing one's life, then that is a triumph and victory of life. "
Canonization
Shortly after World War II, the Georgian Orthodox Church began the process of canonising Fr. Grigol Peradze. Much later, preparations for the first scientific session began - dedicated to the memory of Fr Peradze - on the 45th anniversary of his death on 6 December, 1987. Work on the life and legacy of Grigol Peradzego began to gather momentum. The documentary director Rezo Tabukashvili also came to Warsaw to make a documentary about Archimandrite, having collected a wealth of material on the life and activities of Father Grigol, inter alia, statements from people who knew him. It was thanks to Tabukashvili that the story of the arrest was largely explained. Professor Giorgi Nakashidze, who was a lecturer at the Warsaw University in the interwar period and a friend of Grigol’s father, gave Tabukashvili some important documents from the Second World War and the immediate period that followed. It was through this collection of materials and testimony of witnesses which allowed for the canonization of Grigol Peradze to proceed. The event took place on 19 September,1995 under the auspices of the local council of the Georgian Church when Fr Peradze was declared a "holy martyr." The Act of the canonization was proclaimed by Catholicos-Patriarch Elijah II in the cathedral of Svetitskhoveli, in Mtskheta: "In the name of the Father, and Son and the Holy Spirit, and the holy council of the Autocephalous Georgian Orthodox Church I announce Father Archimandrite Grigol Peradzego canonized as a saint and henceforth he will be called addressed a saint priest martyr. Amen.”
The service and the life of St. Grigol was depicted by Fr. Henryk Paprocki, a the basic iconographic type has been developed by Michał Pieczonko, other icons were made by: Ludmila Lubach, Michał Bogucki, and Irakli Tsintsadze. The memorial day of Saint Grigol is December 6.
In memory of St. Priest Martyr Archimandrite Gregory
The University of Warsaw has organised an annual caucasology sessions of the in name of St. Grigol Peradzego since 2002
In Warsaw, the brotherhood of the Orthodox Church was founded in his honour in 1998 (it organises pilgrimages to holy places in Georgia). A similar fraternity was established in 2002 in Georgia (it recently published a life of St. Grigol Peradze in Georgian and English languages).
In 1999, the Polish Medical Association was founded in Georgia in tribute to Grigol Peradzego. Eight years earlier, the St Grigol Peradzego University was opened in Tbilisi (on 4 Jiqia Street), and one of the streets nearby was renamed in his honour in 2008, and the site was designated for the constuction of churches which were to be dedicated to him. In 2005, the International Commission for the Heritage of St. Grigol Peradzego (Polish-Georgian) was founded, and began to issue Archimandrite’s works in Polish, Georgian, German and English.
In Poland in 2007, a chapel was founded in honour of martyr Grigol archimandrite (Warsaw, ul. Wilcza 31; temporary headquarters), and in 2009, construction began on a church which would be dedicated to him in Bialystok.
On 18 October 2005, on the memorial day of St. Grigol Chandzteli, a Building Committee of the Georgian Church was constituted in Warsaw.
Martyr.Peradze played an important role not only in the history of Polish science, but also contributed to the world’s theological science. This can be confirmed by the numerous references to Peradze’s works by scholars from various fields, such as Andre Tarby, Julius Assfalga, Paul Kruger and the Clavis Patrum Graecorum. Peradze’s academic work has also received high scores in studies on the status of Kartvelian Studies in Germany.
Developed by Fr. Henryk Paprocki
All images and documents contained in this report come from the archives of the Warsaw Metropolitan Church.
Most importantly, Fr Grigol reiterates the command of Christ: " There is no greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend."
translated by Bartłomiej Major and Marta Nazarczuk-Błońska