Chronological List of the Bishops of Atskuri

Abstract

The Atskuri Diocese is one of the oldest episcopal cathedrae within the jurisdiction of the Georgian Orthodox Church (specifically within the Kartli (Mtskheta) Catholicosate). In medieval times, the honor associated with the Atskuri Cathedra was reflected in both the rank and title of its ruling bishop within the hierarchy of the Georgian (Kartlian) Church. The Matskvereli hierarch initially functioned in the capacity of bishop and was subsequently elevated to archiepiscopal rank. The honor and position of the Matskvereli hierarch among Georgian hierarchs are attested across multiple sources. According to K’urtkheva Mironisa (“The Blessing of the Chrism”), specific bishops, together with the Catholicos, were assigned honorary roles in the ritual of Chrism preparation: first the Metropolitan of Greater Armenia is mentioned, followed by the Archbishop of Kartli, and thereafter the Matskvereli. According to the Gangeba Darbazobisa (“Rules of “Session of the Royal Council”), Maksvereli is ranked third among the hierarchs under the Kartli Catholicosate, after the Metropolitan of Greater Armenia and the Archbishop of Kartli. The political aspirations of the Atabags of Samtskhe toward autonomy was mirrored in the church governance as well.
Following the fragmentation of Georgia into separate royal and princely polities, the Matskvereli hierarch became an especially influential figure. Atskuri episcopal see became the principal ecclesiastical pillar of Atabag's policy of church autonomy. A document from the first half of the sixteenth century, listing the bishops of Samtskhe-Saatabago, attests that the Matskvereli diocese covered a notably extensive territory. Moreover, among the thirteen Meskhetian hierarchs, the Matsqvereli occupied primacy and uniquely held the privilege of wearing the mitre (crown) and the bisoni (sakkos). From this period onward, the hierarch bore the distinguished title “Chief Hierarch-Archbishop”.
Following the Ottoman conquest of Samtskhe-Saatabago, the Matsqvereli bishops were confirmed in office by the Ottoman Sultan. By the eighteenth century, the Atskuri episcopal see appears to have been effectively dismantled.
Regrettably, no reliable and definitive source has been preserved that would allow the precise dating of the foundation of the Atskuri Episcopal cathedra. It may be assumed that the diocese emerged around the turn of the fifth and sixth centuries. Due to the scarcity of sources, the chronological succession of the hierarchs of the Atskuri Diocese remains incomplete. The present study is an attempt, within the limits imposed by extant sources, to reconstruct the list of the ruling bishops of the Atskuri diocese from its foundation until its abolition. Based on the available sources, the chronological sequence of the Matskvereli hierarchs compiled by Valery Silogava and Nikoloz Gurgenidze has been critically reassessed and supplemented. The dates of service and chronology of several Matskvereli hierarchs have been refined and specified, and the bishop previously misidentified as Gabriel has been corrected to Gedeon. Three additional bishops have been incorporated into the list, raising the total number of presently known Matskvereli hierarchs to twenty-eight.