Christophorus III

His tenure coincided with the increasingly repressive Soviet rule in Georgia.

He was born as Kristefore Tsitskishvili (ქრისტეფორე ციცქიშვილი) on 27 March, 1873, near the town of Kharagauli in the Imereti region of Georgia, then part of the Russian Empire.

In 1895, he graduated from the Tbilisi Spiritual Seminary and began service as a priest, first in the Trans-Caspian region, and later back in Georgia.

Elected as the Catholicos-Patriarch on 4 June 1927, Christophorus had to lead the Georgian church in a difficult period under harsh pressure from the Soviet authorities.

Due to the Soviet rule, there was only one small announcement in newspapers, the kind that is usually made for a layperson: “Christopher Tsitskishvili has passed away.” Many people did not even know that this name and surname belonged to the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia.