The Georgian Martyrdom of Queen Shushanik, by the priest Jacob, presents an eyewitness account of the martyrdom of Queen *Shushanik (queen and martyr of Georgia and Armenia, S00075) by her own husband, Varsken, the Vitax of Gogarene. Written in the second half of the 5th c.
E00115
Literary - Hagiographical - Accounts of martyrdom
Iakob Xucesi (Martyrdom of Queen Shushanik)
Iakob Xucesi, Martyrdom of Queen Šušanik
I:
Shushanik was the daughter of an Armenian nobleman and military commander Vardan Mamikonean [387-451]. At a young age she married the Bdeašx/Vitax of Gugareti, Varsken. Although Varsken was originally a devout Christian, one day, following a journey to Persia, he proclaimed that he had converted to Zoroastrianism.
II:
Upon his return, he discovered that his wife had heard about his apostasy and had left the house, and refused to participate in family life.
III:
Bishop Apots and Priest Jacob, the author of the narrative, and Shushanik's family priest, were informed of Varsken's apostasy and Shushanik's protest, and arrived to see Shushanik. Jacob told her that he wanted to write down her story and the story of her upcoming passion. Shushanik declared her readiness to suffer until the very end.
IV:
Three days later, Varsken arrived and heard that his wife had left the house. Apots and Jacob acted as intermediaries between Varsken and Shushanik. Varsken rebuked Shushanik for betraying him and for destroying their family. Shushanik replied that it was him, Varsken, who betrayed the memory of his father, who had erected many churches and was a pious man. And just as Varsken had rejected his creator, so would she reject him.
V:
Then Varsken's brother, Jojik came to Shushanik to convince her to return home. After much pleading, he convinced Shushanik to return home. Upon her return, however, Shushanik took the Gospel and refused to enter the house and stayed in a nearby cell, lamenting that nobody has been left to stand by her.
VI:
A few days later Varsken arrived and wished to have dinner with his entire family, including Jojik and his wife. Sushanik was also brought to attend. Yet, when Jojik's wife offered her a cup of wine, Shushanik became outraged and hit her hand, spilling the wine. Then Varsken started beating her severely with a poker, and Jojik could barely save her from her husband's hands. Finally, a certain Persian man came and convinced Varsken to let her go. Shushanik was placed in a cell and a guard was assigned to her.
VII:
Jacob came to visit her and saw her terrible wounds. Shushanik comforted him. Then Shushanik asked him to take her jewellery as it did not belong to her anymore. Jacob, however, told her to keep it for the time being. Almost immediately, a boy arrived sent by Varsken, who said that Varsken was about to leave to fight the Huns and demanded that Shushanik return all the jewellery, since she was not his wife anymore.
VIII:
Then Shushanik went to a nearby church, found a small cell and stayed there. Some time later, Varsken returned from a battle with the Huns. He was particularly bloodthirsty, and demanded that Shushanik was given to her. He went and dragged her from her cell, tying her up and beating her severely, while mocking her that the church would not be of any help. When Varsken saw the terrible amount of blood that Shushanik had spilled, he ordered his servants to put a chain on her and throw her into prison to die.
IX:
Shushanik was dragged to prison and the process was overseen by Varsken. On the way to prison, multitudes gathered to follow her and witness her martyrdom, although Varsken tried to disperse them. Shushanik was thrown into the darkest and coldest cell and nobody was allowed to see her.
X:
Varsken left for another business, and near the border of Albania, Jojik caught up with him, begging him to at least remove the shackles from Shushanik. Varsken finally agreed. Shushanik spent six years in prison, praying and fasting.
XI:
და მიერითგან განითქუა ყოველსა ქართლსა საქმჱ მისი. და მოვიდოდეს მამანი და დედანი აღნათქუემთა შეწირვად და, რაჲ ვის უჴმდა, მიემადლებოდა წმიდითა ლოცვითა ნეტარისა შუშანიკისითა, რომელსა მოსცემდა მას კაცთ-მოყუარე ღმერთი: უშვილოთა შვილი, სნეულთა კურნებაჲ, ბრმათა თუალთა ა[ღ]ხილვაჲ.
იყო ვინმე დედაკაცი ერთი სპარსი მოგჳ, რომელსა განბორებისა სალმობაჲ აქუნდა. და მოვიდა იგი წმიდისა შუშანიკისა. ხოლო იგი ასწავებდა მას, რაჲთამცა დაუტევა მოგობაჲ იგი და იქმნა იგი ქრისტიანე. ხოლო დედაკაცმან მან თავს-იდვა ადრე-ადრე. და იგი ასწავებდა დედაკაცსა მას და ეტყოდა, ვითარმედ „მივედ იერუსალჱმდ და განსწმიდნე განბორებისა მაგისგან შენისა“. და მან გულსმოდგინედ შეიწყნარა და წარემართა გზასა მას სახელითა ღმრთისა ჩუენისა იესუ ქრისტჱსითა და განიკურნა იგი სალმობისა მისგან. და ვითარ გარემოიქცა იგი სიხარულითა დიდითა და მოიწია მუნვე, მოვიდა იგი წმიდისა შუშანიკისა მადლისა გარდაჴდად და წარვიდა სახიდ თჳსა სიხარულით განმრთელებული.
'And since then the fame of her deeds spread across all of Kartli. Men and women came to make vows, and whatever one wished, was given through the holy prayer of Shushanik, given to them by man-loving God: to the childless - a child; to the ill - healing; and to the blind - sight.
There was a certain Persian woman, a magus, who suffered from leprosy. And she came to Shushanik. And Shushanik taught her to abandon Zoroastrianism and to become Christian. But the woman initially declined. But she still taught the woman and told her to go to Jerusalem and to cleanse herself from leprosy. And she obeyed diligently and went in the name of our God Jesus Christ, and she was indeed healed from her affliction. And then she returned joyfully, she came to saint Shushanik to thank her, and went home healed in joy.'
XII:
Shusanik spent her days studying the Scriptures. Then she was told that her children too had apostatised. They came to visit her, but she sent them away.
XIII:
Varsken kept sending her people to convince her to return. He even threatened to sell her as a slave abroad, to which Shushanik replied that he should do so, since she might find a good man there. Then Shushanik miraculously retold one of Varsken's delegates Varsken's exact words, though she had not heard them.
XIV:
Jacob describes the terrible circumstances in which Shushanik lived for six years.
XV:
In the seventh year, Shushanik's body began to rot, and she showed Jacob the worms that had covered her. Nevertheless, from the outside she still wore an expensive Antiochean robe, while wearing rags beneath.
XVI:
Upon hearing that Shushanik was nearing her death, Jojik came to visit her with his family, and asked her to bless him and his family. Shushanik rebuked him for abandoning her, while nevertheless blessing him.
XVII:
Then bishops Samovel and Ioane, and all the great princes and lords of Kartli arrived to pay her a visit. And they asked her to bless her chains and shackles to make them accessible for everyone. Shushanik blessed them all.
XVIII:
When the time of her death arrived, she summoned her court bishop Apots and instructed him to bury her where she was first dragged from. Shushanik prayed one last time and died.
XIX:
და მაშინღა მსწრაფლ მოიღო სანატრელმან მან ეპისკოპოსმან იოვანე შესაგრაგნელად სუდარი წმიდაჲ წმიდათა მათ და პატიოსანთა ნაწილთა მისთაჲ. და ეგრეთ სხუათა მათ აღვიღეთ გუამი იგი ფრიად დამაშრუალი და დაჭმული მატლთა. და განვბანეთ იგი მატლისა მისგან მიწოვანისა და თხრამლისაგან. და შევჰმოსეთ მჩურითა მით. და მაშინ-ღა ეპისკოპოსთა მათ ორთა-ვე, იოანე და აფოც, ვითარცა ხართა მხნეთა დაუღვლევილთა ზესკნელისა მის ფასისათა. ყოვლით კრებულითურთ ფსალმუნითა სულიერითა კეროვნითა აღნთებულითა და სახკუმეველითა სულნელითა აღვიხუენით პატიოსანნი ძუალნი და გამოვიხუენით წმიდასა მას ეკლესიასა. და დავჰკრძალენით წმიდანი იგი და დიდებულნი და პატივ-ცემულნი ნაწილნი წმიდისა შუშანიკისნი განმზადებულნი და პატივ-ცემულნი ნაწილნი წმიდისა შუშანიკისნი განმზადებულსა მას ადგილსა, და მას ღამესა ანგელოზთა სახედ ღამჱ იგი გავნათიეთ და დავითის ქნარითა მით ყოვლად ძლიერსა ღმერთსა და ძესა მისსა უფალსა ჩუენსა იესუ ქრისტესა ვადიდებდით ...
და არს დასაბამი ტანჯვათა მათ წმიდისა შუშანიკისთაჲ თთუესა აპნისისასა, მერვესა თთჳსასა და დღესა ოთხშაბათსა და მეორედ გუემაჲ მისი შემდგომად აღვსებისა ზატიკსა, დღესა ორშაბათსა და კუალად ტანჯვაჲ ვარდობისა თთუესა ათხცრამეტსა, და აღსრულებაჲ მისი თთუესა ოკდონბერსა ათჩჳდმეტსა საჴსენებელსა წმიდათა მათ და სანატრელთა მოწამეთა კოზმან და დამიანჱსთა. და დღე ხუთშაბათი იყო, რომელსა განვაწესეთ საჴსენებელი წმიდისა შუშანიკისი სადიდებლად და საქებლად ღმრთისა, მამისა და ძისა და სულისა წმიდისა, რომლისა შუენის დიდებაჲ უკუნითი უკუნისამდე, ამჱნ.
'Then the blessed Bishop John brought a clean shroud to wrap her holy and blessed relics. And the rest of us took her body, worn out and devoured by worms and we washed off the earthly worms and mud. And we wrapped it in cloth. Then we, the two blessed bishops, John and Apots, like tireless bulls for the heavenly rewards, together with the multitudes, chanting psalms and lighting candles and incense, raised the blessed bones and brought them to the holy church. And we buried the holy, marvellous and glorious relics of Saint Shushanik in the designated place. That night we kept vigils accompanied by the singing of angels and we were glorifying almighty God and his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ ...
The beginning of the torments of St Shushanik was in the month of January, on the eighth day, being a Wednesday. Her second beating took place on Monday in Easter Week. And her death was in the month of October, on the seventeenth day, being the festival of the blessed saints and martyrs *Kosmas and Damianos, and it was Thursday, This anniversary we set apart for the commemoration of St Shushanik, and for the praising of God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, to them belong glory for ever and ever, Amen.'
Text: Abuladze 1964.
Translation: N. Aleksidze.
Saint’s feast
Cult PlacesPlace of martyrdom of a saint
Cult building - independent (church)
Activities accompanying CultMeetings and gatherings of the clergy
Non Liturgical ActivityPilgrimage
Fast
Visiting/veneration of living saint
Prayer/supplication/invocation
MiraclesHealing diseases and disabilities
Miracle during lifetime
Miracles causing conversion
Fertility- and family-related miracles (infertility, marriages)
RelicsBodily relic - entire body
Transfer, translation and deposition of relics
Contact relic - instrument of saint’s martyrdom
Making contact relics
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Monarchs and their family
Ecclesiastics – unspecified
Crowds
Zoroastrians
Family
Children
Women
Foreigners (including Barbarians)
Relatives of the saint
Crowds
Ecclesiastics - bishops
Ecclesiastics - lesser clergy
Source
Author and dateThe Martyrdom of Shushanik is stated to have been written by an eyewitness of the events, Shushanik's court priest, Jacob, also known as Jacob Tsurtaveli. The first-person narrative, and that Jacob indeed witnessed Shushanik's martyrdom, is currently generally accepted in scholarship as a fact. Shushanik died in c. 474/476. Varsken, Shushanik's husband was assassinated by anti-Iranian Georgians in 484. The Martyrdom must have been written before this date, as Korneli Kekelidze plausibly argues, for if Jacob had been aware of Varsken's death he would surely have mentioned it as some sort of divine revenge for Shushanik's martyrdom.
Redactions
The Martyrdom of Shushanik has survived in two main redactions: Georgian and Armenian. Both are tentatively dated to the 5th century, although judging by the internal evidence and that it is not a first-person narrative, the Armenian version must be based on the Georgian original. The earliest manuscript of the Georgian text is dated to the tenth century. There exists yet another, short Georgian version of the Martyrdom found in an eleventh-century manuscript. But this version is very clearly an adaptation of the longer Armenian version and not of the original Georgian one.
Discussion
The Georgian version of the Martyrdom of Shushanik is the earliest attestation of the cult of this Armeno-Georgian martyr and is the earliest securely dated original Georgian composition. Nevertheless, it is evident that the Georgian tradition had already had some experience in martyrological accounts, as the narrative is a fully-formed account of a martyr's life, which includes both miracles during lifetime and posthumous miracles.The cult of Shushanik was presumably originally spread in the region of Gugareti, around her shrine in the town of Tsurtavi. As evidenced by the Book of Letters, the site of Shushanik's martyrdom was equally venerated by Georgians and Armenians before and after the schism of the early seventh century between the two churches over Chalcedon. The oldest reference in the Armenian tradition to the cult of Martyrdom of Shushanik is found in the early seventh-century Book of Letters, specifically in the correspondence between the Armenian and Georgian Church hierarchs (E00117). Shushanik is referred to multiple times in subsequent medieval Armenian tradition. Over time, from a relatively local saint, whose cult seems to have been confined to Gogarene, Shushanik became one of the greatest saints of the Georgian and Armenian Churches. In the ensuing Armeno-Georgian polemic over the Chalcedonian definitions, her cult and memory was extensively used by the Armenians against the Georgians, as a reminder of their "original sin" and treachery - i.e. the martyrdom and killing of an Armenian princess by her Georgian husband.
Therefore Shushanik's cult is important as that of a border saint that historically marked the multiethnic and bilingual region of Gogarene. It also appears that in the sixth and early seventh century, i.e. before the Schism, Armenians and Georgians gathered around her shrine and ritually celebrated friendship between the two people. As claimed by the Book of Letters, Georgians and Armenians used to gather there, form friendships, even marry each other there. To commemorate this history, the bishops of Tsurtavi were allegedly alternatively elected from among the Georgians and Armenians. It was also claimed in the Book of Letters that the liturgy too used to be celebrated in these two languages interchangeably.
Bibliography
Critical Edition:Iakob Curtaveli, მარტჳლობაჲ შუშანიკისი, [Martyrdom of Shushanik], ed. I. Abuladze, Tbilisi, 1938.
Partial translation:
Lang, D.M., Lives and Legends of the Georgian Saints, London, 1976, 44-56.
Further reading:
Bíró, M., “Shushanik’s Georgian Vita”, Acta Orient. Hung 38 (1984), 187-200.
Martin-Hisard, B., ‘Georgian Hagiography,’ in S. Efthymiadis (ed.), The Ashgate Research Companion to Byzantine Hagiography: Period and Places 1, Farnham, 2011, 285-299.
Martin-Hisard, B., ‘Le roi géorgien Vaxtang Gorgasal dans l’histoire et dans la légende’, in B. Guillemain (ed.), Temps, mémoire, tradition au Moyen-Âge, Actes du 13e congrès de la Société des historiens médiévistes de l'enseignement supérieur public, Aix en Provence, 4-5 juin 1982, Aix-en-Provence, 1982, 205-242.
Peeters, P., ‘Ste Šušanik, martyre en Arméno-Géorgie’, Analecta Bollandiana 53 (1935), 5-48, 245-307.
Rapp, S. The Sasanian world through Georgian Eyes, London and New York, 2014, 33-105.
Schmidt, A., ‘Das armenische ‘Buch der Briefe’. Seine Bedeutung als quellenkundliche Sammlung fur die christologischen Streitigkeiten in Armenien im 6./7. Jh.’, in H.C. Brennecke, E.L. Grasmuck and C. Markschies (eds.), Logos. Festschrift fur Luise Abramowski, BZNW 67 (Berlin-New York, 1993), 511-533.
Synek, E.M., Heilige Frauen der frühen Christenheit. Zu den Frauenbildern in hagiographischen Texten des christlichen Ostens, Das östliche Christentum, n.f., 43, Würzburg, 1994.
Vashalomidze S. G., Die Stellung der Frau im alten Georgien: Georgische Geschlechtverhältnisse insbesondere während der Sasanidenzeit, Wiesbaden, 2007.
Zekiyan, L., "Le croisement des cultures dans les régions limitrophes de Géorgie, d’Arménie et de Byzance’, Prémisses méthodogiques pour une lecture sociographique”, Annali di Ca’ Foscari (Serie orientale 17) 15/3 (1986), 81-96.
Nikoloz Aleksidze
12/12/2022
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00075 | Shushanik, queen and martyr of Georgia and Armenia, 5th c. | შუშანიკ | Certain | S00385 | Kosmas and Damianos, brothers, physician martyrs of Syria | კოზმან და დამიანე | Certain |
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