November 23 is the Day of Remembrance of the Martyr Constantine, Prince of Georgia, a wealthy and influential nobleman who lived during the regency of the Byzantine empress Feodora (842-856). Honesty, power of compassion, piety, love and concern for the poor made him one of the most famous personalities in Georgia.

Constantine was 85 years old when the Arabs invaded Georgia, killed many Christians and started persecution. The saint, together with his son, was at the head of the Georgian army and was captured during the battle. The prince endured the imprisonment with humility, begging God to help him overcome all trials with honor. And there were many trials: severe imprisonment in chains in the capital of the Abbasids and torture, offers to renounce their faith for the sake of honors and saving their lives, persuasion from compatriots who had already renounced their faith for the sake of high positions and inciting the saint to apostasy.

The Georgian prince was executed on November 10, 853 by beheading due to his steadfast faith and strength of spirit. Those who saw the execution watched as the angels took Konstantin’s soul to heaven. Empress Theodora, having learned about such a martyrdom of her subject, called on his children to imitate the valor of Constantine.