The Holy Martyrs David and Constantine, Princes of Aragvet

Commemorated on October 2

The Holy Martyrs David and Constantine, Princes of Aragvet, were from childhood raised in the Orthodox faith. They were not only worthy rulers and brave military leaders, but also pious Christians. The holy brothers defended Gruzia (Georgia) from Mohammedan invaders. But the sides were militarily unequal. The Arab military-commander Murvan-Abdula-Kasim, having taken the brothers captive, tried with crafty promises to persuade them into an acceptance of Musselmanism. But they firmly confessed Christ. Then Murvan-Kru ("kru" – "hard of hearing") with the help of sorcerers sought their renunciation from Christ. But the holy brothers David and Constantine overcame all the artifice of the pagan pseudo-wisdom by means of their prayer. Seeing the steadfastness of the holy confessors, the Mahometan gave orders to inflict fierce tortures upon them, and then to drown them in the River Rioni (in the year 740). The river carried of their bodies, illumined by three pillars of light. Christians took the bodies of the holy martyrs from out of the river and buried them in a cave on Mount Tskal–Tsiteli, at the city of Kutaisi.
In the XII Century, during the time of an hunt by the emperor Bagrat the Great (1072-1117), the undecayed relics of the holy brothers were uncovered in the cave, radiant with light. The emperor built in their honour a church of the Martyrs (Motsameti) and founded the Motsameti monastery. The relics of the holy brothers were glorified by numerous healings.