Venerable
Venerable Dodo of Gareja
VI век — †ок. 623
Venerable Dodo of Gareja — a disciple and closest companion of St. David of Gareja, one of the Thirteen Syrian Fathers who came to Georgia in the mid-6th century under the leadership of St. John of Zedazeni; with his teacher's blessing, he founded the Dodo's Rka Monastery dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos in the Gareja desert.
Venerable Dodo came to Venerable David of Gareja, having learned of his ascetic labors in the deserted region of Gareja in southeastern Georgia, and settled beside him, becoming his closest disciple and companion. Both ascetics were among the Thirteen Syrian Fathers who came to Iberia (Georgia) in the mid-6th century under the leadership of St. John of Zedazeni to continue the work of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino in establishing Christianity in the Georgian lands. With the blessing of his teacher, Venerable David, Dodo founded his own monastery nearby, called Dodo's Rka (dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos), which became one of the first centers of organized monasticism in the Gareja desert. Venerable Dodo died around 623. The monasteries founded by him and Venerable David formed the basis of the extensive David-Gareja monastic complex, which remains active today. His memory is kept on May 7/20.