Ambrosi

His Holiness and Beatitude Ambrosi (St. Ambrosi. Secular name: Bessarion Z.Khelaia. September 7 , 1861 - March 29 , 1927 ) wasoutstanding Georgian ecclesiastic figure, scientist and public benefactor, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia in 1921 - 1927 .

St. Ambrosi was born in 1861 , in Martvili ( Mingrelia(Samegrelo) region of Western Georgia). In 1885 he graduated from the Theological Seminary of Tbilisi , in 1900 from the Kazan TheologicalAcademy ( Russia ). In 1887 - 1896 he was a teacher of theology in Western Georgia.

He was one of the leaders of the movement for the restoration of Autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church in 1901 - 1917 (the Autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church wasabolished by the Tsarist Russian Empire in 1811 ). In 1900s St. Ambrosi was jailed by the Russia,s government. In March , 1917 the Autocephaly of the Georgian Church wasrestored.

In March , 1917 Archimandrite Ambrosi was consecrated Metropolitan of Chkondidi (Western Georgia) and then transferred to Abkhazia . In 1921 he became the Catholicos-Patriarch of AllGeorgia.

In February 25 , 1921 the Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918-1921) wasoccupied and abolished by the Bolshevik regime of the Soviet Russia. The Sovietregime began a harsh persecution of the faith. It turned against the Georgian Orthodox Church with fire and sword, destroying1200 temples, arresting and killing of Georgian monks.

On February 7 , 1922 , His Holiness andBeatitude Ambrosi wrote a Memorandum to the organizers and participants of the Genoa ( Geneva ) Conference. He was jailed by the Soviet regime. At the end of the process, inhis final speech, His Holiness turned to his tormentors and said: "My soul belongs to God, my heart to Georgia, and withmy body you may do whatever you please."

In 1926 he was released, but His Holiness and Beatitude did not live much longer. Hedied in 1927 , in Tbilisi . In 1995 he was sainted by the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Main fields of scientific activity of St. Ambrosi were: history of the Georgian Orthodox Church, source studies of the historyof Christianity in Georgia.

Adapted from the Wikinfo article Ambrosi by Levan Urushadze , licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License .