GEORGIA
His relics rest at Samtavro monastery, Mtskheta. His life, help through his prayers, a prayer note to the relics, icons with a particle of cloth.
1929–1995
Goderdzi Urgebadze was born on 26 August 1929 in Tbilisi. His family called him Vasiko. From childhood he was drawn to the Church, which was not safe in Soviet Georgia in the thirties and forties. In 1955 he took monastic vows with the name Gabriel.
In 1965, during the May Day demonstration in Tbilisi, he set fire to a portrait of Lenin and was arrested. He was interrogated and held in a psychiatric hospital, after which he was barred from serving for years. He lived in Tbilisi and in Samtavro as a fool for Christ, rebuking and consoling the people who came to him.
Father Gabriel spent his last years at Samtavro convent in Mtskheta. He died on 2 November 1995 and was buried there. In 2012 the Georgian Church canonised him, and in 2014 his relics were uncovered and moved into the monastery church, where they remain today.
People come to the relics of St Gabriel from all over Georgia and from other countries. They pray to him for health and healing, for their families and loved ones. A prayer service is held in the monastery on Tuesdays. Our groups spend two days in Samtavro on every autumn trip.
O blessed Gabriel, likeness of the ancient fathers and steadfast confessor of the faith of Christ! From your youth you loved the Lord with all your heart and zealously followed Him.
But we, unworthy servants of God, do not possess proper humility and piety; daily we sin, judge our neighbours, and find no justification for our actions. Therefore we implore you: ask the Lord to grant us understanding of His holy will, so that we may be not only hearers of the word of God, but also doers of it.
Holy one of God, help us to love the Lord with all our heart, to cleave to Him with our soul and our thoughts. Ask for us joy, peace, patience, and consolation in all sorrows according to the great mercy of God.
To our Lord Jesus Christ be all glory, honour, and worship unto the ages of ages. Amen.
THE PLACE
Samtavro stands in Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Georgia, twenty kilometres from Tbilisi. The monastery was founded in the 4th century on the spot where St Nino, Equal-to-the-Apostles, lived. The Church of the Transfiguration holds the relics of St Gabriel and of King Mirian and Queen Nana.
How to visit on your own, photos and videos from our trips →
PILGRIMS' STORIES
People who turned to St Gabriel send us their stories. We publish them with the authors' permission and as their personal testimonies. Each story is the personal experience of a particular person.
In 2009, my son Nikolai suffered a serious leg injury. The pain was so severe that he could no longer walk without assistance. Despite his condition, Nikolai asked to be taken to Samtavro Monastery so that he could pray…
Through the prayers of St Gabriel of Samtavro (Urgebadze)
In 2010, our family endured a severe trial. My grandson Giorgi became seriously ill with meningitis. His condition was so grave that the doctors feared for his life. During those days of profound sorrow, the Lord granted…
Through the prayers of St Gabriel of Samtavro (Urgebadze)
I established my family with the blessing of Saint Gabriel Urgebadze. The Lord gave us four children. However, our youngest daughter Maria was born with a developmental condition. Until the age of three, she could not sp…
Through the prayers of St Gabriel of Samtavro (Urgebadze)
SAMTAVRO, MTSKHETA
The prayer note will be taken to Samtavro monastery, to the relics of St Gabriel. The names are commemorated at the divine service. Up to five names, for a donation.
SHOP
A particle of cloth is a small piece of fabric that lay on the relics of the saint. It is placed under glass or in a small reliquary on the back of the icon.
The items of this series are consecrated in Samtavro monastery, and we have a letter from the monastery confirming it.
The monastery letter on the “Consecration of items” page →FROM TALLINN
17Oct. – 28 Oct.
The second group of the autumn. Samtavro, Svetitskhoveli, Bodbe monastery, Tbilisi.
LIFE, PLACES, TRIPS
PLACES
ARTICLES
TRIPS
Nothing found for “%s”
Check the spelling or try a popular query. If the item you need is not in the catalogue, it can be made to order.
Custom order →Cart
Choose which cookies may be used. You can change your choice at any time with the link in the footer.
Submit a prayer note 
Samtavro monastery
