Orthodox Patriarch of Tbilisi welcomes the Relics of St. Martyr Queen Ketevan

His Holiness Orthodox Patriarch and Catholicos of Tbilisi and all Georgia Elijah II has welcomed the relics of famous Georgian queen and martyr Ketevan, who was martyred in custody by Persian Muslims in 1624, after refusing to abandon Orthodox Christian faith and convert to Islam to marry Persian Emperor. The Relics were preserved by the Roman-Catholic Augustinian Monks who witnessed the martyrdom, their monastery was later on looted, and remaining parts of the relics today belong to the Indian Government. India has allowed relics to visit Georgia for 6 months.