Part 6 (1/2)
”Do not be afraid, sisters, the mountains still stand in their places and the rivers have not altered their course, and the nation quietly sleeps. Although that which you beheld did not happen in reality, yet this was not a mere dream, for the mountains of unbelief were thoroughly shaken up in Georgia, for the rivers of innocent children's blood, which flowed in honor of the idols, dried up, for legions of demons, chased out of this region by the mightiness of the Cross are pitifully combatting, seeing how their waves of wrath cannot carry out anything nor harm the fortress of Christ's faith. Come back and let us pray!”
Then all these sounds quieted down and everywhere one could distinguish silence once more. The Saint stood up with raised hands and prayed that what had been begun by the Tsar should not be destroyed. But before dawn the vision repeated itself, and this time more terrifying than ever: it seemed as though an immense and terrible army had attacked the city from three different sides.
Having forced the gates open it completely filled the streets. Everywhere a fearful emotion had spread, shrieking and murdering took place. Pools of blood flowed at every corner. In some places the people threw themselves upon the enemy with arms in their hands; some of them from terror and confusion turned against their own countrymen. Here one was killing the other--there a second one was expiring, a third one's heart was perfectly broken by the lamentations of his family. Suddenly a loud, loud voice was heard:
”The Persian Tsar Kkhouara! The king of kings Kkhouaran Kkhouara has ordered that the sharpness of the sword should spare the Jews!” Only upon hearing this cry did I begin to come back to my senses, but just like ten of my companions, I could not exactly remember how affairs stood. We were still imagining warriors turning around us with swords in their hands, who knocked down and killed everybody and everything. And once more a cry was heard: ”Tsar Mirian is taken!”
Then the brave worker of Christ's vineyard said: ”I know that he who is shouting is in great distress. Give thanks unto G.o.d, for the enemy is overcome and Georgia saved, and this very place too!” She cheered us up like an experienced doctor, like a sincere teacher, like a great apostle! Afterwards fearlessly throwing herself upon this regiment of robbers and destroyers, she angrily asked them:
”Where then is the Persian King Kkhoua and Kkhouaran-Kkhonafa? Only yesterday you left the land of Sab and hurried hither with a terrible and most numerous army in order to destroy the city and exterminate the inhabitants. Ye Northern and Western winds, chase them away into the dark mountains and bottomless precipices, for He arrived before whom you turn to flight!”
With these words she raised her hand and made the sign of the cross.
Instantly all fell to pieces and were swept off, great silence set in and we all began to congratulate her upon the glorious victory and thank G.o.d for the happy and favorable end of such a terrible vision and for His revealing to the Saint through this event the future flouris.h.i.+ng state of the country. When, however, it began to grow light, the other women fell asleep, while I, Sidonia, could see how the Saint continued praying, raising her hands to Heaven. Suddenly there stood before her a youth, s.h.i.+ning with indescribable brightness, dressed in a fiery-blazing garment and said three words to her, from which the Saint fell down with her face on the ground. The youth stretched out his hands towards the pillar, raised it and put it in the right place. In my astonishment I approached and asked: ”Why, mistress, what is this?”
”Bow down thy head!” she replied, and wept from fear. A little later she rose, ordered me to get up too, and we left this place together.
In the meantime our sisters had waked up and actually saw that the pillar, which had seemed to them enveloped in flames, was coming down from Heaven and was approaching its destination. When it was within twenty loktays of the ground it stopped. Hardly had daylight appeared when the Tsar, tortured with impatience and anxiety, hastened to the building which he was burning to see finished. From a distance it seemed to him that the strokes of lightning were rising to Heaven. He hurried on. In the end, unable to conquer his curiosity, he actually ran. His whole suite and innumerable hordes of people rushed after him, doing their best to speedily reach and help to put out the fire in the burning edifice, and lo! a wonderful spectacle now presented itself to the eyes of all present.
The extraordinary illumination was not caused by a fire as supposed: it came from the pillar, blazing with light. Softly did it come down from Heaven, supported by the arms of two angels, placed itself in the right spot, and was firmly fixed without the help of human hands. O, how great was the general delight! Happiness and emotion spread all over Mtzkhet.
The Tsar, Tsaritsa, dignitaries, and people without distinction of rank or cla.s.s, shed tears of emotion, all glorified G.o.d and praised Saint Nina, for great wonders were accomplished on that day. In the first place a blind-born Hebrew, who approached the pillar, which had been placed by G.o.d, began to see. Secondly, the sepetsouli (i.e., page) Kha Mazaepouki had been entirely paralyzed for eight years. His mother took him in his bed and had it carried to the s.h.i.+ning pillar, afterwards turning to Saint Nina, she said in an imploring voice: ”Look, O mistress, at my dying baby, I know that He about whom thou dost preach is the G.o.d of G.o.ds!”
Then the Saint moved up to the pillar and having put her hand on the boy, said to him: ”Thou dost believe in Jesus Christ the Son of G.o.d, who hath come to save the world? Be healthy and from this very day on glorify G.o.d, who hath cured thee!” And the boy got up in perfect health, and Tsar and nation were seized with fear. All the sick hastened to the spot and were healed, but as many could not stand the wonderful light coming out of the pillar, the Tsar ordered to have it covered with wood, which, nevertheless, of course did not prevent the people from approaching the pillar and getting cured.
The work of completing the church was immediately taken in hand, and it was arranged so that the pillar should be left in its above mentioned place. In the meantime the amba.s.sadors of Tsar Mirian had already related to the Emperor Constantine and the Empress Helen, his mother, about the conversion of their sovereign to the faith of the true G.o.d, and this filled their hearts with joy, for Mirian offered them his friends.h.i.+p and help in conquering and destroying the Persians.
They hastened to send Bishop John (upon the advice given by the Antiochian patriarch Evstafii) and with him two priests and three deacons. Upon this occasion Constantine wrote a letter of congratulation to Mirian, filled with blessings and expressions of thankfulness to G.o.d, and sent him some gorgeous presents, but above all an invaluable gift--namely: the image of Rouiz with five hundred pieces of holy relics. The Empress Helen also wrote a letter in which she highly praised the resolution of Mirian and encouraged him. The arrival of the bishop, priests, and deacons at Mtzkhet was a day of general feasting, for Tsar as well as people were equally thirsting to be baptized.
Immediately a proclamation was sent to all the kristavs, military commanders, and dignitaries of the monarchy to gather around the Tsar, and all started for Mtzkhet. Thereupon began the general baptizing: Saint Nina baptized the Tsar and the priests the Tsaritsa and princes.
Bishop John on the other hand blessed the Mtkouar, and together with the deacons having found a place near the bridge Mogoutka, opposite the house of the priest Elios, he baptized in these waters all dignitaries and courtiers; that is the reason why this spot is called Mtkavartka-Sanatklavi, i.e., ”the place where the Mtkavares were baptized.”
Farther down the river, both priests, the deacon and the bishop, after having baptized the n.o.bility and dignitaries, baptized the people, who hurried towards them as much as possible--begging to quickly receive the great favor. Just so the prophecies of St. Nina, who was constantly and uninterruptedly repeating to them that he who does not let himself be baptized, would never behold the real light, awakening in them the greatest enthusiasm. Thus nearly all Georgians and fifty Hebrew families from the house of Varrava were christened.
To the Hebrew-Christians the Tsar granted the suburb of Tsikhe Dide. This was in the year 327.
Alone the mountain inhabitants and Mirian's brother-in-law, Pkeros, who had received the province of Ran as a dowry from his bride, beginning from Bard, did not pay attention to the Tsar's summons and remained heathens, having respectfully remarked to the Tsar that his power over them could not be extended to their form of religion. When, through His great mercifulness, the Lord deigned to show to the holy Tsaritsa His living cross, Tsar Mirian hastened to send to the Emperor Constantine the Bishop John, asking him for a piece of the wood of the holy living cross. To this request he joined the wish to have many priests, in order to send them out not only into all provinces, but also to each single city of his government to educate, enlighten, and baptize the people all over Georgia.
At that time an invitation was also sent to architects, for it took a great many to erect and establish churches throughout the kingdom. The Emperor received the amba.s.sador with great rejoicing and handed him the pieces of the holy living wood on which had lain the holiest legs of the Saviour of the world, and two nails from the Lord's hands. The pieces of the holy living wood are called Nerkveli in Georgian. Emperor Constantine handed great riches to Bishop John, ordering him to erect a church with this money in the newly converted country, but to divide up the remaining treasures among the other Georgian churches. He also sent with him many priests and architects and having flattered and complimented the envoy and bishop, allowed them to start for home.
Having reached the province of Eroushatk, they left there one architect and a priest, ordering them to establish and erect a church, and giving them the necessary sum for that undertaking. The priest besides was given charge of the most holy nails, which were to be kept in this temple. When they again arrived at Mangliss, they did the same thing, leaving the holy Nerkvelis, and then soon reached Mtzkhet. But Mirian, who had been awaiting their arrival with such impatience, was deeply grieved by the fact that they had been staying out longer on the way than he had expected them to do, and besides--had left in the provinces both invaluable holy relics; but Saint Nina comforted him by the following words: ”Quiet down, O Tsar! It was necessary that everywhere on their route they should proclaim and firmly establish the name of the Lord--while thou in the grand capital art in possession of quite as great a treasure, viz., the robe of the Lord!”
Then the Tsar sent for Abiatkar, and with him came quite a large number of Jews. When, however, he asked them questions about the robe they related how it was under the wonder-working pillar and added to this the whole report of Sidonia, which we have already told.
”Blessed be Thou, O Lord Jesus Christ, son of the living G.o.d!” exclaimed the Tsar, raising his hands toward Heaven, ”merciful and charitable in saving us from the devil and the land of darkness and having built this church, nay, having brought Thy robe hither from the most holy city of Jerusalem to spare it from the hands of the Jews, who hath not acknowledged Thee and to hand it over to our care, to a foreign and strange nation, honoring and fearing Thee with all their heart!”
Immediately the church was begun, first commencing with the court. ”Let the name of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed,” said then Saint Nina, ”and of G.o.d the Father, who hath sent His son, who leaving the all-s.h.i.+ning heavenly regions, came down to earth, was without doubt born of the seed of David, of the branch of Joachim, of the most holy and most pure Virgin and her thou didst make the cause of our salvation, earthly enlightenment and glory of Thy people O Israel! Of her was born the G.o.d man, the light of all believing, the image of G.o.d, baptized with water and with the Holy Ghost, was crucified and interred, rose on the third day--going up to His Father, whither he comes with glory, for He is worthy of all glory, honor, and adoration, together with the Father and the Holy Ghost now, henceforth and evermore! Amen.”
When all were really and successfully baptized, the royal son Revv reminded them about the famous tree, which grew in the court and had a marvellous power to heal even the most desperate mortal wounds. It was noticed more than once that even the snakes, when wounded by mortal shots, if they ate the leaves of this tree or the buds falling from it, immediately were healed.