Life of Saint Nino
Saint Nino was of Cappadocian origin, from a noble family. Her father was a Roman military leader, her mother the sister of the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Nino was 12 years old when her parents sold everything, went to Jerusalem, and distributed the proceeds to the poor there. At the age of 14, the Mother of God appeared to Nino and commanded her to go to Kartli to preach the true faith and gave her a cross made of grapevine (which is now kept in Tbilisi, in the Sioni Cathedral). Through many hardships, prayers, and miracles, Saint Nino converted pagan Georgia to Christianity. King Mirian and Queen Nana were the first to believe in Christ, and the newly-Christianized King Mirian declared Christianity the state religion in 326. Nino passed away in Bodbe and was buried there. For centuries, Georgians have paid homage to her tomb. The Bodbe Monastery remains one of the most important holy sites in Georgia today.
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