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Saint Arsenius of Iqalto

Monk, translator and teacher
Iqalto, Gelati and Constantinople
Feast day: February 6 / February 19 (Georgian source); February 6 (OCA)

Icon of Arsenius of Iqalto.
Icon of Arsenius of Iqalto. Image source: Image from Orthodoxy.ge

A life of faith

Arsenius was a Georgian monk, translator and teacher who lived in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. He studied in Constantinople and worked under Ephraim the Lesser on the Black Mountain near Antioch. His translations made Greek theological and historical writings available in Georgian. At King David’s invitation, he returned to Georgia and worked at Gelati before establishing a school at Iqalto. He was buried at Iqalto beside its founder, Zeno.

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Georgian saints life

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