Daily Calendar - May 22

The 142nd day of the year, 223 days left until the New Year.

Church Calendar

The next feast of the Ascension.

The Repose of the Venerable Shio the Great, the Caveman, the Wonderworker (VI); The Repose of the Holy Relics of the High Priest Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myron-Lukia to Bari (1087)*; The Prophet Isaiah (VIII century AD); The Martyr Christopher and with him 10203 martyrs and two mothers: Aquilina and Callinikes (250).

The Holy High Priest Nicholas the Wonderworker was the Archbishop of Myron-Lukia.

The holy relics of Archbishop Nicholas were solemnly transferred to the city of Bari on May 22 in the church of Saint Stephen. This solemn procession was accompanied by numerous miraculous healings of the sick.

In honor of the miracles of Archbishop Nicholas, many churches and monasteries were built in Georgia. Many miraculous icons of the Holy Archbishop have survived to this day.

Venerable Shio the Caveman was one of the thirteen Assyrian fathers who, by God's command, came to Georgia in the 6th century to strengthen the Christian faith. He was born in the Syrian city of Antioch, into a Christian family. At the age of 16, Shio had a desire for an ascetic life, and when he learned about the holy ascetic John, he immediately set out to him. The saint ordered the young man to return to his parents and prophesied to him that his parents would become nuns in the future. Saint John’s prophecy was soon fulfilled and he was tonsured a monk by his own hand.

For twenty years, Saint Shio lived with his teacher in Savanna, after which Saint John received an order from the Most Holy Theotokos to go to his allotted land - Georgia, with his twelve disciples, and labor there to strengthen the true faith. Saint Shio was also among the 12 disciples of Saint John. The Assyrian holy fathers who arrived in Georgia, with the prayers and blessings of their teacher, Saint John, and the Catholicos-Patriarch of Kartli, Evlav, went to various parts of Georgia to preach the Word of God; John himself settled on Mount Zedazni near Mtskheta and received the name Zedazni from here. After working with Saint John for a long time, Saint Shio settled in a cave carved into the rock on Mount Zedazni, west of Mtskheta, near the town of Sarkineti. He founded his monastery and over time gathered about 2 thousand monks. In his monastery, where he also built the Church of the Holy Trinity, Saint Shio led a strict ascetic life in the cave and taught the monks of the monastery a true ascetic life. Later, two more temples were built in the monastery of the cave: in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos and in honor of the Forerunner of the Lord, Saint John the Baptist. According to tradition, Saint Shio the Caveman was also engaged in fruitful literary activity - he was the author of 160 works that have not reached us.

Saint Shio the Caveman made a vow to God that he would spend the last years of his earthly life in a cave. He never left the cave and thus spent fifteen years in a strict ascetic life. After many years of continuous, solitary prayer and supplication, Saint Shio gave up his soul to the Lord.

This virtuous man of God was buried with great honor by his disciples in the monastery founded by him.

Born:

337 _ Constantine I the Great, Roman Emperor, founder of Constantinople.

1813 _ Richard Wagner, German composer, founder of the Bayreuth Musical Theater (Opera). Died in 1883.

1856 _ Vasil Barnov, writer. Died in 1934.

1859 _ Arthur Conan Doyle, English writer. Died in 1930.

1907 _ Laurence Olivier, prominent English theater and film actor, director. Died in 1994.

1908 _ Nikoloz Tevzadze, one of the founders of geodesy and surveying in Georgia, professor. Died in 1985.

1924 _ Charles Aznavour, French actor, singer.

1940 _ Giorgi Japaridze, literary critic, folklorist. Died in 1991.

1950 - Irakli Parjiani, Georgian painter.

1963 - Levan Abashidze, Georgian actor.

1970 - Naomi Campbell, actress and model.

Died:

1885 _ Victor Marie Hugo, French writer.

Events:

1841 - Peasants' Revolt begins in Guria.

1856 _ The Tretyakov Gallery is established in Moscow.

1920 _ A council session was solemnly opened in the reading room of the Tbilisi University Scientific Library, opened by Korneli Kekelidze. The public session was to hold the first debate on the Georgian language for a scientific degree, which was awarded to 33-year-old Akaki Shanidze. His dissertation is preserved in the fund of the University's Scientific Library.

1972 _ Ceylon was proclaimed the Republic of Sri Lanka.

1972 _ US President Richard Nixon paid his first visit to Moscow.

Memorable days:

World Day for Biological Diversity

International Astronomy Day

Yemen - National Day (1990).

US - National Day of the Navy.