Equal-to-the-Apostles King Mirian III of Iberia

CORRECTION: the original data mislabeled the date's style (listing "October 1" as New Style); in fact October 1 is the Old Style date, and the New Style equivalent is October 14.

Equal-to-the-Apostles King Mirian III, according to the chronicle of Leonti Mroveli the son of the Persian Shah Shapur I of the Khosroid dynasty, ruled Iberia (eastern Georgia) from 284 to 361. He was married to Queen Nana. He initially resisted the preaching of St. Nino, Enlightener of Georgia, and even considered persecuting Christians, but converted after being overcome by sudden darkness while hunting, which lifted only after he prayed to Christ God.

He and his entire court were then baptized; he sent envoys to Emperor Constantine and Empress Helena in Constantinople requesting bishops and church-builders, established Christianity as the state religion, built the first church at Mtskheta (on the site of today's Svetitskhoveli Cathedral), and obtained the relic of Christ's Robe. According to tradition, he asked to be buried not in the magnificent lower church but in the more modest upper church of Samtavro.

His feast is kept on October 1/14, together with Queen Nana.