Georgian PM hails “unity, faith, dedication” of martyrs on 1226 commemoration day

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday commended the “unity, faith and dedication to the motherland” of the 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi who were killed in 1226 for having refused to renounce Christianity during an invasion of Khwarazmian Empire forces of the city. 

In his remarks for an anniversary of the date, the head of the Georgian Government said it was “hard to find in history such an amazing case of inner strength and unity in faith”.

Such examples of our great history form the identity of Georgians, spiritual values, strengthen our faith and love for our homeland”, he said. 

The date commemorates the legend of individuals who were put to death for refusing to abandon their faith as commanded by the invading forces of the Khwarazmian sultan Jalal al-Din, who had conquered Tbilisi.

The reference to the martyrs comes from the 14th-century anonymous Georgian Chronicle of a Hundred Years.