His full title was His Holiness and Beatitude, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia.

Born as Grigol Sidamonidze, the future prelate graduated from the Tiflis Theological Seminary in 1918 and from the Tbilisi State University with a degree in philosophy in 1925.

After the death of Melchizedek III in 1960, Ephraim was elected to the office of Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia.

During his tenure, Ephraim tried to avoid confrontation with the Soviet government, but produced a series of sermons, appealing to Georgian patriotism, for which he gained popularity.

[2] He died in 1972 and was interred at the Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral.