Diocese of Nikoz and Tskhinvali

The Nikoz diocese is one of the first 12 dioceses of Christian Georgia founded in the 5th century by King Vakhtang Gorgasali , who in the same century moved the capital from Mtskheta to Tbilisi ^[1] .

Built in the V century , the cathedral has undergone many architectural changes over the centuries.

The remains of the first martyr of Georgia, St. Rajden, are buried inside it (V century, the mentor of the wife of King Vakhtang, the daughter of an Iranian king, descended from a noble Persian family, converted to Christianity, a brave military leader who suffered martyrdom at the crucifix from his former compatriots demanding to renounce the faith).

After the abolition in 1811 by the Russian Empire of autocephaly of the Georgian Church and its subordination to the Synod of the Russian Church , along with others, the Nikoz diocese was closed. The Georgian Church returned autocephaly on March 12 (25), 1917.

April 5, 1995 ^[2] it was decided to reopen the Diocese of Nikoz, which was separated from the Urbnis . The new diocese was led by Bishop Isaiah (Chanturia) . The main temple of the monastery complex - the Nikozos Cathedral of Gvtaeb, the Ascension Church, is located in Zemo Nikozi (Upper Nikozi), next to it is the Bishop's Palace, originally from the 9th – 10th centuries, the bell tower of the 17th century, and a little further - the Church of the Holy Archangels of the 10th – 11th centuries.

However, the new diocese fed mainly the Georgian population on its territory, since back in 1992 the Ossetian Orthodox community of South Ossetia, led by layman Alexander Pukhate, appealed to the Moscow Patriarchate to take it under its authority, but there they were forced to refuse for canonical reasons. After this refusal, Alexander Pukhate was admitted to the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad , where he was ordained and tonsured a monk. In 2000, the South Ossetian Deanery of the ROCA was formed. However, the ROCOR’s course toward reunification with the Moscow Patriarchate meant the need to return the South Ossetian deanery to the Georgian Patriarchate, and therefore in 2003 Gregory (Puhate) transferred to the non-canonical old-style Synod of Opposing , which formed the Alanian Diocese and placed Grigory (Puhate) Bishop ^[3] .

Before the war of 2008, the diocese had the opportunity to spiritually nourish temples in Georgian large and small villages on the territory of the Republic of South Ossetia , in such villages as Tamarasheni , Kekhvi , Yeredvi , Achabeti , Avnevi , Nuli , Ksuisi , Perevi , Akhalgori , Ikorti , etc. (In fact, almost all of these villages do not exist, homes are abandoned and the Georgian population of about 18 thousand lives in central Georgia).

On August 11, 2008, during the Georgian-South Ossetian war, after the aerial bombardment, the Bishop’s Palace, a monastery residential complex, a large library and an animation studio for children were burnt there ^[4] .

Monasteries:

• Sabaczminda, St. Savva the Sanctified husband. monastery (South Ossetia, village Kheit, Tskhinvali region), founded in the 10th century, renewed in 1997;
• Nicosi, St. Happened to the First Martyr husband. monastery (Georgia, village Zemo (Upper) Nikozi, Gori district), founded in 1995 at the Church of the Ascension of the Lord 2nd floor. V century
• Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary wives. monastery (South Ossetia, Leningor), founded in 2000;
• St. Alexy (Shushania) women monastery (South Ossetia, village Ikot, Leningor district), founded in 2002
• Tyrsky St. Abo Tbilisi husband. monastery (South Ossetia, village Monaster, Tskhinvali region), founded in the XIII century.
• George the Victorious Church (South Ossetia, village Jer Tskhinvali district)
• Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary (South Ossetia, village Tigva Znauri district)

• https://web.archive.org/web/20141019154956/http://nikozi.ge/ official site
• ნიქოზისა და ცხინვალის ეპარქია
• Ossetia and Abkhazia: freedom without the Church // " Neskuchny Sad "
• Gela Kandelaki Shadow Theater // “Tbilisi Week”