Gregory of Khandzta

Gregory of Khandzta (Georgian: გრიგოლ ხანძთელი, Grigol Khandzteli; 759 – 5 October 861) was a Georgian ecclesiastic figure and a founder and leader of numerous monastic communities in Tao-Klarjeti, a historical region in the Southwest of Georgia.

The monasteries and their scriptoria functioned as centres of wisdom for centuries and played an important role in the development of a national Georgian culture.

At the same time, Ashot I Kuropalates, the presiding prince of Iberia, had chosen Artanuji in Klarjeti as his residence and stronghold in his effort to assert independence from other regional powers, such as the Abbasid Caliphate or the Byzantine Empire.

Gregory played a prominent role to mobilize popular sentiment against Muslim presence in the Caucasus.

His influence grew so strong that he was able to affect both the political and the private lives of the Georgian princes.