 |
Metropolit ZinoviyBishop of the Georgian Orthodox Church
Date of Birth: 14.09.1896
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
- Early Life and Monasticism
- Wartime and Ordination
- Exile and Return
- Arrest and Imprisonment
- Post-Imprisonment and Elevation
- Metropolitan and Spiritual Counselor
- Sanctification
Early Life and Monasticism
Born on September 14, 1896, in Gluhov, Ukraine, the future Bishop Gabriel was orphaned at a young age and raised in poverty by his uncle. In 1912, he entered the Glin'skaya Hermitage and became a novice under the guidance of Father Gerasim.
Wartime and Ordination
During World War I, Gabriel was conscripted into the army and suffered from severe foot problems and eczema. After being discharged, he returned to the Glin'skaya Hermitage. In 1920, he was tonsured into the monastic order as a ryasophor monk and later as a monk in 1921, taking the name Zinoniy.
Exile and Return
Following the closure of the Glin'skaya Hermitage in 1922, Gabriel moved to the Caucasus and joined the Dranda Dormition Monastery near Sukhumi. He was ordained a hierodeacon and later a hieromonk. In 1930, he was exiled from Georgia and settled in Rostov-on-Don, where he served in the Church of Saint Sophia.
Arrest and Imprisonment
In 1936, Gabriel was arrested and sentenced to exile in Central Asia. He contracted malaria and was sent to the Urals, where he spent five years. Despite his imprisonment, he continued to conduct religious services.
Post-Imprisonment and Elevation
After his release, Gabriel returned to Georgia and became a spiritual father at the Sionsky Dormition Cathedral in Tbilisi. In 1956, he was consecrated as a bishop and appointed Vicar Bishop of the Patriarch of All Georgia. In 1960, he was transferred to the Tetritskaro diocese.
Metropolitan and Spiritual Counselor
In 1972, Gabriel was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan. He resided in a cell at the Alexander Nevsky Church in Tbilisi and refused to occupy the residence befitting his rank. Among his spiritual children was the future Patriarch Ilia II, whom he tonsured as a monk.
Sanctification
In 1985, Metropolitan Gabriel passed away. He was buried at the northern wall of the Alexander Nevsky Church. In 2009, he was canonized as a locally venerated saint by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The formal glorification ceremony took place in 2010 at the Glin'skaya Hermitage.
