Saint Nino was a woman who preached Christianity in the territory of the Kingdom of Iberia, in what is now part of Georgia. Her preaching resulted in the Christianization of Iberia.
Icon of Saint Nino
Icon of Saint Nino at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral.
Saint Nino with her scroll and grapevine cross
A mosaic in Samtavro Monastery, Mtskheta
Christianization of Iberia
The Christianization of Iberia refers to the spread of Christianity in the early 4th century as a result of the preaching of Saint Nino in the ancient Georgian kingdom of Kartli, known as Iberia in classical antiquity. The then-pagan king of Iberia Mirian III declared Christianity to be the kingdom's state religion. Per Sozomen, this led the king's "large and warlike barbarian nation to confess Christ and renounce the religion of their fathers", as the polytheistic Georgians had long-established anthropomorphic idols, known as the "Gods of Kartli". The king would become the main sponsor, architect, initiator and an organizing power of all building processes.
A benediction cross of Catholicos-Patriarch Domentius IV of Georgia showing scenes of the Triumphal Entry, Crucifixion and Ascension of Jesus, the Dormition of the Mother of God, the Raising of Lazarus, and Pentecost. In an inscription on the handle of the cross in the Georgian Mkhedruli script, the Catholicos-Patriarch asks for the "forgiveness of his sins" (kept at the Walters Art Museum in the United States).
Solar eclipse of 11 July 2010, totality seen from the French Polynesia.
