Gabriel Urgebadze

Gabriel of Georgia , born Goderdzi Urgebadze (; 26 August 1929 – 2 November 1995) was a Georgian Orthodox monk venerated for his dedicated monastic life and piety. With many miracles ascribed to him, Gabriel's grave in Mtskheta has attracted an increasing number of pilgrims. The Georgian Orthodox Church officially canonized him as Holy Father Saint Gabriel, Confessor and Fool for Christ (წმ. ღირსი მამა გაბრიელი აღმსარებელი-სალოსი; Ts'm. ghirs mama gabrieli aghmsarebeli-salosi), on 20 December 2012.

Biography Early years Goderdzi Urgebadze was born in Tiflis on 26 August 1929. He was baptized in infancy at the Church of Great Martyr Barbara in Navtlugi. His father, Vasili Urgebadze, died under unclear circumstances when Goderdzi was two years old; thereafter, he was called "Vasiko" within the family in his father's memory. He began schooling at the age of six and reportedly first encountered the name of Christ at the age of seven. During this period, he saved money and purchased a Gospel.

During the period of communist persecution, religious icons were often hidden in attics and other concealed places. Goderdzi requested that such icons be given to him when they were no longer needed. These icons are now preserved in the church he built, as well as in the tower of the women’s monastery of Samtavro. His mother, Varvara Urgebadze, though not irreligious, initially opposed his religious vocation. She later became a nun under the name Anna and is buried in the courtyard of Samtavro Monastery alongside her son. Due to maternal opposition, he left his family home and undertook pilgrimages to several monasteries, including Samtavro, Svetitskhoveli, Shio-Mgvime, Zedazeni, and Betania, which became his principal spiritual influence. The incident was later reported in the Western Orthodox publication Death to the World in 1994.

He addressed the crowd with the following statement:

He was subsequently severely beaten by the crowd. A high-level emergency response was declared, and he was saved from possible death through the intervention of servicemen.

The incident attracted international attention and was reported in European and American newspapers. Instead of execution, he was committed to a psychiatric hospital in August 1965 and released three months later, partly due to the intervention of academician Avlipi Zurabashvili.

Although he retained the rank of Priest, he was prohibited from performing liturgical service. He continued to attend services as a lay participant and received communion as an ordinary believer. He was repeatedly summoned by the KGB and subjected to physical abuse. During this period, he adopted the lifestyle of a fool-for-Christ, engaging in unconventional public behavior and open street preaching.

Veneration

The hieromonk Gabriel is believed by Eastern Orthodox Christians to have possessed powers of healing and clairvoyance, while his remains are considered incorrupt. The oil from a lamp which constantly burned at his tomb in Mtskheta is also considered miraculous.

The relics of Gabriel were exhumed for reburial in a special crypt within Samtavro Monastery on 22 February 2014. Prior to its reburial, his body was toured around four major Orthodox cathedrals in Georgia, attracting thousands of devotees from all over the country.