Saint Gavriil the Georgian added to Romanian Orthodox Calendar

The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church has approved the inclusion of Saint Gavriil the Georgian in its liturgical calendar. His feast day will be observed on November 2.

Born Goderdzi Urghebadze in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 1929, the saint lived through the Soviet communist era. He became widely known in 1965 after burning a portrait of Lenin during a public demonstration, which led to a seven-month psychiatric hospitalization.

Following his release, he continued to face persecution before spending his final years at the Samtavro Monastery. He passed away on November 2, 1995. He was canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church in 2012, and his relics were discovered in 2014.