The Orthodox Church Celebrates St. Nino’s Day

On 1 June, the Georgian Orthodox Church celebrated St. Nino’s Day across the country.

The church believes that St. Nino arrived in Georgia on 1 June 319, four years before Georgia declared Christianity as their official religion.

On the morning of 1 June, the Georgian Patriarch Ilia II held a Divine Liturgy in Sioni Cathedral. The scroll and cross with hair wrapped around which are believed to have belonged to St. Nino were shown to attendees at the cathedral.

The church believes that Nino held the same scroll and cross when she arrived in Georgia to spread Christianity. It is thought that she healed people and performed miracles, eventually also bringing the Georgian Queen Nana to Christianity.

St. Nino’s day is celebrated in Georgia twice a year on 1 June and 27 January, the date of her death.