Catholic Patriarch of Georgia celebrates 91st birthday

Georgia: The Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, his Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, the Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan bishop of Abkhazia and Bichvinta, the Chairman of the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church, turned 91 years old on January 4, 2024.

The Ambrolauri Municipality City Hall expressed their warmest congratulations and most profound respect to the spiritual leader of the Georgian nation, who has been serving the Georgian Orthodox Church since 1977.

The City Hall wished him health and longevity and praised his role in preserving the unity and faith of the country and the people.

Ambrolauri Municipality

The Ambrolauri Municipality is a self-governing community in western Georgia. Its governing bodies are based in Ambrolauri, which had been part of the municipality until 2014 when it became a self-governing city.

Together with the town of Ambrolauri and the neighbouring communities of Lentekhi, Oni, and Tsageri, the Ambrolauri Municipality forms the region of Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti. The population is 9,139. 

Ambrolauri is situated in the Greater Caucasus’s southern slope zone and borders various subranges of the Caucasus. Its southern geographical boundary is the Racha Range. 

In the north, it is limited by the Lechkhumi Range, where its highest mountain peaks are located. The municipality is crossed by the Rioni and its tributaries Krikhula, Znakura, Shareula, Lukhuni, Ritseula and Askistskali. 

Due to the mountainous character, the agricultural land occupies only 240 km of the sparsely populated municipal territory. The municipality contains rich resources of arsenic and gypsum.

Catholic Patriarch of All Georgia

The Catholic Patriarch of Georgia is widely revered and respected by Georgian society and the international community. He has been awarded numerous honours and distinctions, both secular and religious, for promoting peace, dialogue, and human rights.

It has been the title of the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church since 1010. The first Catholic patriarch of All Georgia was Melkisedak I (1010–1033). 

There have been 82 Catholico-Patriarchs, of whom seven have been formally glorified by the Georgian Orthodox Church.