Abo of Tiflis

The Holy subscription of Tbilisi (also subscription or Habo Tbilebi; Georgian აბო თბილელი, ჰაბო ტფილელი; * about 756; † January 6 786) was a Christian martyr and patron saint of the Georgian capital Tbilisi.

Life

He grew up as a Muslim in Baghdad, where he later worked as a perfumer.

At the age of 17 or 19 years, he came with the Georgian Prince Nerses, the ruler of Kartli, but ruled the Islamic Christian-influenced Tbilisi. Nerses had previously been imprisoned by the caliph of Baghdad three years and been dismissed by the new caliph from captivity.

In Georgia, converted to Christianity subscription, but had been baptized outside the Muslim sphere of influence. He then returned to Tbilisi and lived there for three years until he was invited by the Muslim rulers to return to Islam. Because of his refusal, he was sentenced to death. Ioane Sabanisdse, a Georgian religious writer and a contemporary of Saint Abo, wrote the hagiographic novel The Martyrdom of Saint subscription.