Abo of Tiflis

Abo of Tiflis was born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 756. He was a Muslim by birth and worked as a perfumer, making fine fragrances and ointments. He followed the Georgian prince Nerses to Tbilisi, where he encountered Christianity for the first time. He was impressed by the faith and the morals of the Christians, and began to study their scriptures and doctrines. He accompanied Nerses to Khazaria, where he was baptized and received the name Abo. He then went to Abkhazia, where he lived a monastic life of prayer and fasting. He returned to Tbilisi in 782, where he openly confessed his Christian faith and tried to convert his fellow Arabs. He was arrested and tortured by the Muslim authorities, who tried to persuade him to renounce his new religion. He refused and remained steadfast in his confession. He was executed on January 6, 786, by being stabbed with a sword. His body was thrown into the river, but was later recovered by the Christians and buried in a church. He is venerated as a saint and a martyr by the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. His feast day is January 8.