Right-Believing King King David IV the Builder (Renovator)

Right-Believing King David IV was born around 1073 and ascended the Georgian throne in 1089 at the age of 16, during an era of extreme fragmentation of the country and constant raids by the Seljuk Turks. During his reign (1089-1125), the holy king carried out large-scale military and state reforms, united the warring Georgian principalities, won a decisive victory over the Seljuks at the Battle of Didgori (1121), and liberated Tbilisi, making it the capital of a unified Georgian kingdom. At the same time, King David cared greatly for strengthening the Orthodox Church in Georgia, fought against abuses by the clergy, and convened church councils. He founded the famous Gelati Monastery near Kutaisi, which became the largest spiritual and scholarly center of medieval Georgia — the Gelati Academy operated under his patronage. For his labors in reviving the country and the Church, the Georgian people called him "Agmashenebeli" — the Builder, or Renovator. He died on January 24, 1125, and was buried in the narthex of the Gelati Monastery. His memory is kept on January 26/February 8.