დღემდე უცნობი წყაროები თბილისის კათოლიკეთა საეპისკოპოსოსა და მისი ეპისკოპოსის − ქრისტეფორე ორბელიანის შესახებ

Abstract

It is more or less specified in historiography that the Catholic episcopate which was established in 1329 existed until 1510. There are known 13 bishops of the episcopate and their years of governance one way or the other. They were the members of different orders and foreigners by their origin. In subsequent centuries, till 1736, we do not have any information on the existence of the Catholic episcopate of Tbilisi and nothing is known about its bishop. On the basis of the hitherto unknown sources (from Vatican Archive) is investigated that in the period of Kizilbash rule (1735-1744) in Eastern Georgia the tax and repressive policy enforced by Nadir Shah pressed hard with classes of people Catholic missionaries as well. In addition to this, Nadir Shah’s anti Catholic policy, which created hardest conditions to Georgian Catholics. Under the circumstances it seems that on the basis of the request of all Catholics of Tbilisi in 1736 Patriarch of Antioch and the first Uniate of All the East Cyril IV (1724-1759) established Christephore Orbeliani as the bishop of Tbilisi of Catholics having a Georgian typicon. In accordance with the above-mentioned sources, Christephore Orbeliani was a member of the Order of Saint Basil the Great and he, as an Orthodox Priest, converted to Catholicism in previous ages of 1725. This worthy confessor obtained a great honour and authority in ecclesiastical circles and parish of both confessions. Thanks to this, under the circumstances where Catholics had hard times in Tbilisi, on the basis of the request of Georgian Catholics, Uniate Patriarch of Antioch established Christephore Orbeliani as a bishop of Catholics having a Georgian typicon that we should imply to be found acceptable for Holy Throne. Thus, after 1510, it was the first occasion when we see the Catholic episcopate having a Georgian typicon and its bishop, by one’s origin a Georgian Catholic, Christephore Orbeliani. The latter, in accord with the same sources, was appointed as one’s vicar by the Patriarch Domenti IV of Georgia hindered in Constantinople in 1725-1739, and he performed the duty in 1737-1739 that was absolutely an unprecedented event. It is being established that at the time of the ordeal in the country, confessional differences were sent to the background and the intermediation of the pope of Rome before Nadir Shah to facilitate the condition became the factor of consolidation between the Orthodox Church of Georgia and the episcopate of the Catholic Church.