As I've been on the road a couple days now, I figured I'd let people know how my wonderful adventure's been going. First, I'll lead up to it with the last few days here in Ch'ik'aani:
On the last day of school, the younger grades had a New Year's party and the older grades didn't have lessons (i.e., didn't have classes, in American English--the small differences in American and British English/Georgian (which uses transliterations of a few of the involved words) can cause a little confusion until you get used to the local usage--at least, for an American like myself), so I had plenty of time to take care of a few last things in the computer lab before (at least, potentially) losing my computer access for a month. The weekend went well, and on Tuesday morning I headed to Tbilisi to begin my monastic pilgrimmage, if it can be thus called. It was surprisingly warm and sunny (though also windy) in Tbilisi, and to start out, I wanted to check the Patriarchate's ecclesiastical supply stores--I found out from Mama Davit where they were (nicely, all on one street). Assuming I wouldn't have time to go to Betania (the first monastery on my list) until the next day, I was somewhat wehimsical and carefree as to my path, and went to as many churches as I could along the way (it's not difficult to find a lot of opportunities for this in Georgia). (By the way, it turns out the church at which you can see the woman prostrating herself in the middle of the night in my first photojournal entry is actually Sioni Cathedral (that is, Zion Cathedral, of course) (obviously no longer the episcopal see church of Tbilisi, at least since Sameba was consecrated, if not before then).) When I finally got to Leselidze, the street with all the ecclesiastical supply shops (it's near the glass bridge on the West bank, for anyone who wants to know), I was surprised by how many there actually were. It took me a good while to look through them all. (I was doing this to see if I could, reasonably within my budget, get anything that might be useful for any of the churches or monasteries I know in America--alas, most of it was (as expected) a good bit out of my price range. On the other hand, everything was beautiful, and a good bit cheaper than you'd probably find in the states--if any of my reaers to whom this applies knows of anything they want/need and wants to use me as an intermediate to get it, just let me know--from handpainted Georgian icons, priest or stavrophore/schema crosses, gorgeous vestments of all types, all the way up to mitres and full-size iconographic crucifixes for use in the Church (though don't ask me to transport that last example)--you name it, they've probably got it.) After that, seeking a quiet place to do some prayers (i.e., not one of the churches in the middle of the city, crowded with pilgrims going in and out), I decided to see if I could get up to a church I saw up on a hill. Turns out, it was quite far up, this hill, and perhaps couldn't be called part of Tbilisi at all (eventually the road cuts off to a footpath/trail). It also turns out it was a monastery--holy Transfiguration Monastery--and a perfect place to do my prayers (the Church itself was unlocked, so, since I didn't see anyone I could ask, I simply went into the empty sanctuary and began).
The Church was quite beautiful, and very Georgian in its iconography, iconostasis, and general structure (truly Georgian-style churches have quite a different feel than that of a Russian or Greek church, having that characteristic peculiar Georgian quality that seems to pervade all things traditionally Georgian). As I later learned, the monastery is only about ten years old. Eventually, a novice came in, and as he happened to speak English quite well, we spoke for a while. At 7:00, they had a Vigil, but through there are about 12 people staying at the monastery (three monks, three heiromonks, and otherwise guests and students of a small school of some sort (I don't think it was a seminary proper) which is either attached to, or at least very close to, the monastery itself), because of illness, abscences, and infirmities, it was just me, the aforementioned novice, and his spiritual father, who are both visitors from a smaller monastery, staying to study at the school. This heiromonk also knew some English, and we ended up doing some parts of the service in Georgian, and some in English--a first for me in Georgia.
After Vigil, the aforementioned priest invited me to his cell, and we talked for a while before I went back to prepare for a midnight liturgy there. The liturgy consisted of me, this novice,a guest at the monastery (who served in a sticherion in the altar and chanted), a heiromonk, and me. It was absolutely wonderful. Glory to God for all things! I had no plan, really, for what I was doing, yet He in His infinite Knowledge, Love, and Mercy, brought me to a wonderful little monastery I would otherwise not have even known existed, and even granted me to end the day (or, more properly, begin the new day, in Orthodox reconing of the day's beginning at sunset) by partaking of His Very Body and Precious Blood! Glory to God, who works in ways past human understanding.
After Liturgy, I was given a blessing to spend the night at the monastery. In the morning, I headed off for the marshutka station to see which I needed to get me to Betania. This wild goose chase of being redirected from station to station lasted four or five hours. Eventually, I called my friend Giorgi in the hopes that he would know how I could get there. He instead came and picked me up, preceeded to call his manager and get the day off, and announced that he was taking me to Betania that very day. Georgians really are a rare people, let me tell you that. Long story short, because of weather, we instead went to a different monastery in a car belonging to his cousin (a priest, I might add), and accompanied by him. It is dedicated to the Iveron ("Iberia") Icon of the Theotokos, and also had a wonderful and warm brotherhood--and is also one I would have never known existed if I was following my own plan for this trip. God seems to have his own plan for my travels, which is great--He knows which monasteries will be better places for me to stay. When we don't constantly, actively try to impose our own wills, but try a little to live in obedience to the will of our loving neighbors (and simply of God Himself, as much as we can discern It), His Will is made manifest in ways most obvious.
Anyway, we had Vigil and then some tea, before a short devotional service for the welfare of Georgia, or the Georgian Church, as best I could discern it to be, before heading off to our cells for the night. As there's a 6:00 Liturgy tomorrow morning, I suppose I should probably finish up writing. Overall, I can simply say, my journey had been going miraculously well so far.
On the last day of school, the younger grades had a New Year's party and the older grades didn't have lessons (i.e., didn't have classes, in American English--the small differences in American and British English/Georgian (which uses transliterations of a few of the involved words) can cause a little confusion until you get used to the local usage--at least, for an American like myself), so I had plenty of time to take care of a few last things in the computer lab before (at least, potentially) losing my computer access for a month. The weekend went well, and on Tuesday morning I headed to Tbilisi to begin my monastic pilgrimmage, if it can be thus called. It was surprisingly warm and sunny (though also windy) in Tbilisi, and to start out, I wanted to check the Patriarchate's ecclesiastical supply stores--I found out from Mama Davit where they were (nicely, all on one street). Assuming I wouldn't have time to go to Betania (the first monastery on my list) until the next day, I was somewhat wehimsical and carefree as to my path, and went to as many churches as I could along the way (it's not difficult to find a lot of opportunities for this in Georgia). (By the way, it turns out the church at which you can see the woman prostrating herself in the middle of the night in my first photojournal entry is actually Sioni Cathedral (that is, Zion Cathedral, of course) (obviously no longer the episcopal see church of Tbilisi, at least since Sameba was consecrated, if not before then).) When I finally got to Leselidze, the street with all the ecclesiastical supply shops (it's near the glass bridge on the West bank, for anyone who wants to know), I was surprised by how many there actually were. It took me a good while to look through them all. (I was doing this to see if I could, reasonably within my budget, get anything that might be useful for any of the churches or monasteries I know in America--alas, most of it was (as expected) a good bit out of my price range. On the other hand, everything was beautiful, and a good bit cheaper than you'd probably find in the states--if any of my reaers to whom this applies knows of anything they want/need and wants to use me as an intermediate to get it, just let me know--from handpainted Georgian icons, priest or stavrophore/schema crosses, gorgeous vestments of all types, all the way up to mitres and full-size iconographic crucifixes for use in the Church (though don't ask me to transport that last example)--you name it, they've probably got it.) After that, seeking a quiet place to do some prayers (i.e., not one of the churches in the middle of the city, crowded with pilgrims going in and out), I decided to see if I could get up to a church I saw up on a hill. Turns out, it was quite far up, this hill, and perhaps couldn't be called part of Tbilisi at all (eventually the road cuts off to a footpath/trail). It also turns out it was a monastery--holy Transfiguration Monastery--and a perfect place to do my prayers (the Church itself was unlocked, so, since I didn't see anyone I could ask, I simply went into the empty sanctuary and began).
The Church was quite beautiful, and very Georgian in its iconography, iconostasis, and general structure (truly Georgian-style churches have quite a different feel than that of a Russian or Greek church, having that characteristic peculiar Georgian quality that seems to pervade all things traditionally Georgian). As I later learned, the monastery is only about ten years old. Eventually, a novice came in, and as he happened to speak English quite well, we spoke for a while. At 7:00, they had a Vigil, but through there are about 12 people staying at the monastery (three monks, three heiromonks, and otherwise guests and students of a small school of some sort (I don't think it was a seminary proper) which is either attached to, or at least very close to, the monastery itself), because of illness, abscences, and infirmities, it was just me, the aforementioned novice, and his spiritual father, who are both visitors from a smaller monastery, staying to study at the school. This heiromonk also knew some English, and we ended up doing some parts of the service in Georgian, and some in English--a first for me in Georgia.
After Vigil, the aforementioned priest invited me to his cell, and we talked for a while before I went back to prepare for a midnight liturgy there. The liturgy consisted of me, this novice,a guest at the monastery (who served in a sticherion in the altar and chanted), a heiromonk, and me. It was absolutely wonderful. Glory to God for all things! I had no plan, really, for what I was doing, yet He in His infinite Knowledge, Love, and Mercy, brought me to a wonderful little monastery I would otherwise not have even known existed, and even granted me to end the day (or, more properly, begin the new day, in Orthodox reconing of the day's beginning at sunset) by partaking of His Very Body and Precious Blood! Glory to God, who works in ways past human understanding.
After Liturgy, I was given a blessing to spend the night at the monastery. In the morning, I headed off for the marshutka station to see which I needed to get me to Betania. This wild goose chase of being redirected from station to station lasted four or five hours. Eventually, I called my friend Giorgi in the hopes that he would know how I could get there. He instead came and picked me up, preceeded to call his manager and get the day off, and announced that he was taking me to Betania that very day. Georgians really are a rare people, let me tell you that. Long story short, because of weather, we instead went to a different monastery in a car belonging to his cousin (a priest, I might add), and accompanied by him. It is dedicated to the Iveron ("Iberia") Icon of the Theotokos, and also had a wonderful and warm brotherhood--and is also one I would have never known existed if I was following my own plan for this trip. God seems to have his own plan for my travels, which is great--He knows which monasteries will be better places for me to stay. When we don't constantly, actively try to impose our own wills, but try a little to live in obedience to the will of our loving neighbors (and simply of God Himself, as much as we can discern It), His Will is made manifest in ways most obvious.
Anyway, we had Vigil and then some tea, before a short devotional service for the welfare of Georgia, or the Georgian Church, as best I could discern it to be, before heading off to our cells for the night. As there's a 6:00 Liturgy tomorrow morning, I suppose I should probably finish up writing. Overall, I can simply say, my journey had been going miraculously well so far.
In Christ,
Teopile/Theophilos Porter
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