Saint Nino

Saint Nino, a remarkable missionary, played a pivotal role in the Christianization of the Kingdom of Iberia, now known as Georgia. Born into a Greek-speaking Roman family in Kolastra, Cappadocia, she was a relative of Saint George and embarked on her spiritual journey from Armenia.

At the tender age of fourteen, Nino served as a lady-in-waiting to a noblewoman who resisted the advances of Emperor Diocletian. To escape persecution, Nino and her companions fled, but tragically, all were killed except for her. It was during this harrowing time that she received a divine vision from the Virgin Mary, who bestowed upon her a grapevine cross and instructed her to spread Christianity in Iberia.

Nino's arrival in Iberia marked the beginning of a transformative era. Through her unwavering faith and miraculous healings, she converted many, including Queen Nana and King Mirian III, who, lost and blinded during a hunting expedition, found his way after praying to 'Nino's God.' This pivotal moment led to the declaration of Christianity as the official religion of his kingdom around the year three hundred twenty-six.

Continuing her missionary work until her death, Nino's legacy endures, with her tomb venerated at the Bodbe Monastery in Kakheti, eastern Georgia. She is celebrated as one of the most revered saints in the Georgian Orthodox Church, with the grapevine cross symbolizing the essence of Georgian Christianity.