Shushanik
Encyclopedia
Saint Shushanik (c. 440-475) was a Christian
woman who was murdered by her husband Varsken in the town of Tsurtavi, Georgia
. Since she died defending her right to profess Christianity, she is regarded as a martyr
. Her martyrdom is described in her confessor Jacob
’s hagiographic work.
She was a daughter of the Armenian
supreme military commander (sparapet
) Vartan Mamikonian and married to the prominent Georgian feudal lord (pitiakhsh) Varsken, son of Arshusha. Varsken was in opposition to Vakhtang I Gorgasali
, King of Kartli
, and took a pro-Persian
position, renouncing Christianity
and adopting Zoroastrianism
. He killed his spouse after she refused to submit to his order to abandon her Christian faith. Varsken himself was put to death by King Vakhtang in 482.
Shushanik has been canonized by the Georgian
. Her feast day is celebrated on October 17
.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
woman who was murdered by her husband Varsken in the town of Tsurtavi, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
. Since she died defending her right to profess Christianity, she is regarded as a martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
. Her martyrdom is described in her confessor Jacob
Iakob Tsurtaveli
Jacob of Tsurtavi also known as Jacob the Priest was the 5th-century Georgian religious writer and priest from Tsurtavi, then the major town of Gogarene and the Lower Iberia....
’s hagiographic work.
She was a daughter of the Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
supreme military commander (sparapet
Sparapet
Sparapet was a hereditary military rank that originated in the 2nd century BC, under the reign of King Artashes I, and was used in the Kingdom of Armenia and the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , was supreme commander of the armed forces. It was the equivalent of the Parthian Spahbod Sparapet was a...
) Vartan Mamikonian and married to the prominent Georgian feudal lord (pitiakhsh) Varsken, son of Arshusha. Varsken was in opposition to Vakhtang I Gorgasali
Vakhtang I Gorgasali
Vakhtang I "Gorgasali" , of the Chosroid dynasty, was a king of Iberia, natively known as Kartli in the second half of the 5th and first quarter of the 6th century. Gorgasali is a sobriquet meaning in Iranian "wolf’s head"...
, King of Kartli
Kartli
Kartli is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari , on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role in ethnic and political consolidation of the Georgians in the Middle Ages...
, and took a pro-Persian
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
position, renouncing Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and adopting Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...
. He killed his spouse after she refused to submit to his order to abandon her Christian faith. Varsken himself was put to death by King Vakhtang in 482.
Shushanik has been canonized by the Georgian
Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church
The Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church is an autocephalous part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Since the 4th century AD, Georgian Orthodoxy has been the state religion of Georgia, and it remains the country's largest religious institution....
. Her feast day is celebrated on October 17
October 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Oct. 16 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Oct. 18-Fixed commemorations:All fixed commemorations below are observed on October 30 by Old Calendarists-Saints:*Holy Prophet Hosea...
.