Hierarch Samuel I, Catholicos of Mtskheta

Saint Samuel I, Catholicos of Mtskheta, was the second primate of the Georgian Church following its elevation to catholicosate status. As a simple priest, he accompanied the Georgian king Vakhtang Gorgasali during the king's time in Byzantine territory. At the king's request to strengthen the ecclesiastical independence of Georgia, the Byzantine emperor sent Samuel to Georgia together with eleven other bishops and Catholicos Peter I. Ordained at Antioch and blessed by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Samuel became bishop of Samtavro, with his seat at the Church of Samtavro in Mtskheta, and likely served as vicar to Catholicos Peter I before succeeding him. He led the Georgian Church through the 470s–490s. Shortly before his death, Saint Samuel visited the holy martyr Shushanik in her prison cell, strengthening her before her martyrdom. He reposed around the year 490. By decision of the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church on 17 October 2002, Saint Samuel was formally glorified among the saints. His feast is kept on November 30. He is venerated primarily within the Georgian Church, as part of the Synaxis of Georgian Saints.