The Martyrdom of Queen Ketevan, Georgia

The historical relevance of the tile panel of martyr Saint Ketevan preserved in the Convent of Graça motivated the intervention of the Georgian authorities in order to better understand the history of the Portuguese Augustinian missionaries in Georgia. Thus, in the early 2000s, they launched a series of actions aimed at studying it and promoting its dissemination.

This panel is part of a large set of tiles covering the walls of what was the Chapter Room of Convent of Grace, dedicated to the martyrs and notable missionaries of Augustinian missions overseas.

Following the 1834 decree that abolished religious convents in Portugal, the convent was abandoned. The Chapter Room was taken over by the Army, leading to a rapid deterioration of the set of tiles, including the scene with Queen Ketevan.

The tile panel, which was in poor condition, was restored in 2015, with funds from the Georgian National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation. In the same year (2015), a faithful replica of the panel was made, on the initiative of the Georgian Ambassador to Portugal, Giorgi Gorgiladze, and the founders of the Chateau Mukhrani Historical Palace, where it was solemnly exhibited in 2017.

 

The Valorous Ketevan, Queen of Georgia

Queen Ketevan was born around 1560, the daughter of Prince Ashotan of Mukhrani, of the Bagrationi-Mukhrani dynasty. Around 1581, she married David of Kakhetia – the future David I of Khaketia. After her husband's death in 1602, she fought for the recognition of her son Teimuraz as king of Kakhetia, particularly against the powerful Shah Abbas I of Persia (1571-1629).

Throughout the incessant struggles against Persian attempts at power control in the region, in 1614 Queen Ketevan was sent to Abbas I as a mediator by her son, Teimuraz, and she was held as a prisoner in Shiraz for several years. In 1623, she met the Portuguese Augustinian missionaries, who had started a convent in Shiraz in that same year.

Urged by Abbas I to become a Moor and renounce her Christian faith, she refused and, as a consequence, was martyred in September 22, 1624. Queen Ketevan's martyrdom was particularly cruel. According to the Augustinian missionaries, she was burned on hot coals with pincers: “The pincers removed pieces of flesh from both her cheeks, (…) and, stripping her from the waist up, they pincered her on the breasts.” *

Her sufferings were related in the notable True Account of the Glorious Martyrdom of Queen Ketevan of Georgia, written in 1624 by Br. Ambrósio dos Anjos (c. 1590-1642), a memorandum that would become the main source of a number of historical accounts of the martyrdom.

Her remains, buried for several months, were located by Br. Ambrósio dos Anjos in early January 1625, “the body having been buried for three months and thirteen days in a very deep grave.” *

 

The complex journey of Queen Ketevan's relics

Due to the insecurity of the place where the queen had been martyred, Br. Ambrósio dos Anjos first transferred the body to the Augustinian convent of Isfahan, headquarters of his Order.

In 1627, Br. Manoel da Madre de Deus (d. 1628), Prior of the Convent of Isfahan, took with him to Goa “the right hand of the Holy Queen in flesh and bone of the arm for the comfort of the monks and beggars of the monastery of Goa.” * She was laid to rest in the Augustinian convent of Our Lady of Grace in Goa, in a private tomb, together with Br. Jerónimo da Cruz and Br. Guilherme de Santo Agostinho.

In 1628, two Augustinian missionaries, one of them Br. Ambrósio dos Anjos, left Goa with the intention of starting a mission in the lands of “Gorgistan.” They took with them some of the relics of the memorable Queen, in order to facilitate this foundation. The preparation for this trip included, in addition to the relics, the Panels of the Queen's martyrdom, probably by the Goan painter Aleixo Godinho.

Arriving in “Gorgistan,” in May 11, 1628, the religious men gave some of the relics to King Teimuraz (1589-1663), who solemnly placed them in the Alaverdi Cathedral. They were kept there until 1723, when they got lost in consequence of the attacks of the Ottomans.

In 1631, Br. Antonio de São Vicente took a relic from Georgia into Rome, where it was presented to the renowned pilgrim Pietro della Valle (1586-1652), who had met Queen Ketevan during his travels in the East. To this day, this relic has not been found.

According to a report by a 19^th century author, a relic also arrived in Namiuri, Belgium, in 1845. Georgian researcher Nino Salia searched this relic in vain in the 20^th century (1973).

The relics deposited in the Convent of Grace, in Goa, appear to be the only ones currently located. In the 1720s, the chroniclers of the Augustinian Order revealed that the Queen's remnants remained in the Goa convent. In fact, according to Br. António da Purificação, in the chapel of the Chapter House of the church of Our Lady of Grace, there is a stone tomb under the second window with the bones of the “the bones of the servants of God, Br. Guilherme of St. Augustin, hermit, and Queen Guativanda, who gave their lives for the faith of Our Lord Jesus Christ; as well as those of Br. Jeronimo of the Cross, son of the Province of Portugal.” *

When the convent was abandoned in 1835, Ketevan's urn was still in place, according to the inventory of contents carried out by the Portuguese authorities after its closure.

The study on the tile panel in the Convent of Grace in Lisbon published by Robert Gulbenkian in 1985 eventually promoted the search in India for the remains of this remarkable queen, and in late 1980s, contacts began between Georgia and India in order to discover them. Several delegations from Georgia worked together with the Archaeological Survey Services of India, trying to locate Ketevan's tomb in the ruins of the Augustinian convent of Our Lady of Grace in Old Goa.

The convent was in ruins. The first research work was fruitless, largely due to the misinterpretation of Portuguese sources about the burial site. Only in 2004 was the original burial site correctly identified through surveys carried out by the Archaeological Survey Services of India; Portuguese researcher Sidh Losa Mendiratta was also part of the working group. In 2006, as a result of archaeological excavations, the remains were discovered by Indian archaeologist Nezamuddin Tahir. In 2013, after laboratory tests, the studies carried out on the bone fragments allowed the conclusion that they were most likely the so-called relics of the venerable Queen Ketevan of Georgia. In 2017, the relics were provisionally sent from Goa to Georgia, being solemnly received in September 23.

Finally, at the insistent request of the Georgian authorities, in July 9, 2021, part of the relics was definitively handed over to the Georgian government and received by Patriarch Elijah II, Primate of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

 

Queen Ketevan on the tile panel of the Convent of Graça

The panoramic tile depicting the martyrdom of Queen Ketevan, located in the old Chapter Room of the Convent of Our Lady of Graça in Lisbon, was created in early 18^th century, as were the other panels of the tile set in the same room.

In 1834, when the religious orders were abolished, the Chapter House was handed over to the Brotherhood of Senhor dos Passos, but in late 19^th century it was in possession of the Quartel da Graça, remaining under the control of the Army until 1973.

In 2008, Georgian authorities became aware of the existence of a depiction of the Martyrdom of Queen Ketevan in one of these tile panels, which were reported to be in poor condition. They then contributed to the restoration of the panel, which began in 2015.

In 2017, Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili visited the Queen Ketevan mural in Convent of Graça during his official trip to Portugal. Restoration work continued and an agreement was signed with the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of the Ministry of Culture of Georgia. In the same year (2017), Portuguese experts involved in the restoration project of Queen Ketevan's tile panel in the church of Graça participated in the international conference “The Heritage of Queen Ketevan” at the Georgian National Museum.

 

The tile panel: a description

The tile panel represents the martyrdom of Queen Ketevan, as stated in the upper caption – “AV. D. GATIVANDA, Rª DO GORGISTÃO, IRMAN, AND F.ª ESP. al OF THE ORDER OF ST. AUGUSTINE” (The venerable D. Ketevan, Queen of Gorgistan, Sister and Spiritual Daughter of the Order of Saint Augustine). At the bottom, there is the caption relating to the martyrdom – she “suffered martyrdom in Shiraz in Persia on September 22, 1624.”

The Queen is represented roughly in accordance with the contemporary descriptions of the Portuguese Augustinian missionaries.

“It was this pious lady of small stature, who seemed to be forty years old. She walked with a staff in her hand and was dressed entirely in black, like a widow, her head and neck covered with veils somewhat black. Her face had great beauty and gravity (worthy, certainly, not only of a kingdom, but of a sovereign empire), was extremely white, and very pleasant, which seemed to cause particular joy in those who saw it. She had large, beautiful, black eyes, and her exterior clearly showed what was going on in her soul, because in the servants of God the divine grace that possesses their souls is shown on their faces.” *

The Queen's martyrdom is represented according to the witness of Br. Ambrósio dos Anjos. The panel is composed of three scenes.

In the first scene on the left, Ketevan is depicted kneeling, with her maids, who hold the crown and sceptre, at the feet of Br. Ambrósio dos Anjos, with the caption – “V. Pe. Fr. Ambrozio dos Anjos n.al de Lª”, preparing to die. The Augustinian religious “had helped and comforted Queen Ketevan, confessing her and doing everything in his power for the good of her soul.” * At the door, two warriors are waiting to take her.

The central scene represents the torture. The martyr is lying on her back on a platform, with her breasts being torn off with pincers, with the caption – “Adjuva me Deus in tortura mamiliarum mearum” (Help me Lord in the torture of my breasts). An angel awaits her with the crown of martyrs. Men on horseback and on foot surround the scene.

The scene on the right represents the delivery, in 1628, of the relics of Queen Ketevan to her son Teimuraz I, King of Kakheti, by Br. Ambrósio dos Anjos. The urn says “Bones of the Martyr Queen.”

Each scene is separated by countryside landscapes, in the style of tile composition in the 18^th century.

 

The Christianization of Georgia

The Caucasus is a region of very ancient Christianization, dating back to the 4^th century, traditionally due to St. Nino. The Khaketi kingdom became independent in the mid-15^th century, after the disintegration of the Georgian kingdom.

In 1453, Georgia broke away from Western Christianity, following the fall of Constantinople, and from then on, the Orthodox Patriarchate took hold.

In Khakheti, King David I, Queen Ketevan’s husband, was succeeded, after some contingencies, by King Teimuraz in 1605. The constant hostilities with the Persian kingdom of Abbas I culminated in 1616 with the Muslim invasion, with Kakhetia being subjected to complete devastation.

 

The Augustinian Mission in Georgia

Georgia's first contact with the Augustinian religious men took place in the city of Shiraz, Persia, where Br. Ambrósio dos Anjos witnessed the martyrdom of the venerable Queen Ketevan. In 1628, an Augustinian convent was initiated in Gori, in the Eastern region. The last known letter from Br. Ambrósio dos Anjos, written from “Gorgistan” and addressed to the provincial vicar of the Hermits of Saint Augustine, dates from June 29 of that year, describing various events related to the mission, as well as descriptions of the region and its inhabitants.

The mission ended in 1649, “due to the insurmountable difficulties of the journey and the harsh cold climate.” * 

 

Saint Ketevan

The heroic Queen Ketevan is one of Georgia's most revered figures, of great significance in the country's history. Her life crossed paths with that of Portuguese missionaries several centuries ago, who witnessed her martyrdom and contributed in a valuable way to its dissemination.

Venerated as a Saint in the Georgian Orthodox Church, her cult spread rapidly. She is celebrated liturgically on September 26.

Despite not having joined the Catholic Church, according to the Augustinian Fathers, “It is likely that the queen is in heaven and rejoices in God’s glory. Although she followed Greek customs, she had a great love for the Holy Catholic Church and for all Latins”. The Catholic Church may confirm her holiness, given the evidence of her martyrdom.

The relics of the venerable Queen Ketevan, preserved originally and with great effort by the Portuguese Augustinians, are a valuable historical heritage of Georgian culture and the intrinsically Christian devotion of this region.

 

* Gulbenkian, Roberto, Relação Verdadeira do glorioso martírio da rainha Ketevan da Geórgia, in Separata dos Anais, II Série, vol. 30, Academia Portuguesa da História, 1985, p. 105-186.

 

REFERENCES

• RÊGO, António Silva, Documentação para a história das Missões do Padroado Português do Oriente, Lisboa,  Ed. Agência Geral das Colónias, 1947‐1958.
• GULBENKIAN, Roberto, Relação verdadeira do glorioso martírio da Rainha Ketevan da Geórgia, Anais da Academia Portuguesa de História 30,1985, p.105-186.
• AZEVEDO, Carlos Moreira, Ordem dos Eremitas de Santo Agostinho em Portugal (1256-1834), edition of the Colecção de Memórias de Fr. Domingos Vieira, OESA, Lisboa, Universidade Católica Portuguesa. Centro de Estudos de História Religiosa (CEHR), 2011.
• CHIKHLADZE, Marietta, CARVALHO, Maria do Rosário Salema de, “The Representation of Queen St. Ketevan’s Martyrdom on the 18th Century Azulejos in Graça Monastery (Lisbon) According to Portuguese Missionaries Textual Narratives”, Historical Collections, Georgia Vol. 7, 2019, p. 270-295.