Samtavro convent in Mtskheta, where the relics of St Gabriel rest, is one of the most visited places in Georgia. People come here with grave diagnoses and family troubles, and sometimes simply for advice. Here we briefly retell their testimonies. Help and healing come by the mercy of God, through the prayers of the saint.

Prophetic words

Zaza Intskirveli met the elder at Samtavro on Easter Day 1987. Father Gabriel asked him to help him put on his mantle, invited him to the festal meal and suddenly said: "In thirteen years you will work for the Church, though you will not wear the monastic habit." Exactly thirteen years later Zaza was asked to head the agriculture department of the Georgian Patriarchate.

The blessing of Mother Paraskeva

Many stories are linked with Mother Paraskeva, the saint's cell attendant. Maia Kublashvili had been unable to conceive for three years. During Great Lent she prayed at the elder's tomb, Mother Paraskeva anointed her forehead with blessed oil, and that same month Maia learned she was expecting a child.

Lia Papiashvili's oncologist insisted on an urgent operation. Before it she went to Samtavro, where Mother Paraskeva blessed her and anointed her with oil. A repeat examination found no changes.

Archpriest David Grigalashvili recalls that his youngest daughter Maria did not speak until she was three. In 2001 the family prayed at Samtavro. As they were leaving, the girl ran to the tomb and brought back an apricot no one had noticed there before; Mother Paraskeva told them to let her eat it. On the way home Maria said clearly for the first time: "Daddy, buy me a bun." Since then she has spoken like other children.

Children who were longed for

During her pregnancy Fekla Samanishvili was told of serious abnormalities in her baby and advised to end the pregnancy. She prayed every day and anointed her belly with blessed oil. Her daughter Varvara was born healthy.

The great-granddaughter of Tsisana Kiliftari from Ozurgeti was scheduled for an ear operation. Before it the family went to Samtavro several times, and on the day of the operation the doctor examined the girl and said it was no longer necessary.

Irma Tsiklauri's thirteen-year-old son badly injured his spine playing football and could neither sit nor lie down without pain. At the saint's tomb he knelt with great difficulty, and soon after they came home he could move freely again.

A return to faith

In 2010 Meri Makadze's grandson fell seriously ill with meningitis. Until then she had rarely been to church. One night she dreamt she was kneeling at Samtavro and St Gabriel laid his hand on her head, saying: "Blessed are those who believe in God." In the morning she went to the convent and asked Mother Paraskeva to pray with her. Three days later the boy was better, and Meri, in her own words, truly found faith for the first time.

Suliko Gvinjilia from Senaki had suffered from cirrhosis for several years. In November 2004 he prayed at the elder's tomb about his coming treatment. He was admitted to hospital without difficulty, and the examination found no signs of cirrhosis.

A church behind prison walls

While serving his sentence in the Ksani prison colony, Vasili Narindoshvili served at the church of St Nicholas inside it. Oil from St Gabriel's tomb became a comfort to many there. The prisoners read the Lord's Prayer together and Vasili anointed the sick: for some the pain eased, for one man with asthma breathing became easier. Many who had been far from the Church began to come to services. One of them, Nukri Bochorishvili, said: "The greatest miracle is when the soul begins to heal together with the body."

Retold from testimonies collected by Nun Maria (Glushchenko).