Also known as
- Abo of Tibileli
Profile
Grew up Muslim. Perfumer to Nerses, the prince of Kartli, a region of eastern Georgia. As a young adult, Abo became convinced of the truth of Christianity, but was afraid to convert openly as Georgia was under Muslim rule and conversion was a capital offense. For political reasons, his prince had to seek shelter in Khazaria north of the Caspian Sea, an area free of Muslim control; Abo and 300 other members of the court accompanied him, and Abo was baptized there. The prince and his party returned to Tblisi in 782, and for a few years Abo lived quietly as a “closet” Christian. However, in 786 he was exposed as a Christian, and tried for being an apostate from Islam. He confessed his faith at trial, was imprisoned, and martyred.
Born
- 8th century at Baghdad, (in modern Iraq)
- beheaded 6 January 786 at Tblisi, Georgia
- his body was burned on the edge of cliff, and his bones thrown off a bridge into the Kura River
- his biographer, a contemporary named John Sabanisidze, swears a pillar of light was seen rising from the water the next day
Additional Information
MLA Citation
- “Saint Abo of Tblisi”. Saints.SQPN.com. 7 January 2010. Web. {today’s date}. <http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-abo-of-tblisi/>