Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani
Sulkhan - Saba Orbeliani (Georgian სულხან - საბა ორბელიანი; * November 4, 1658 in Tandsia, Lower Kartli, Georgia; † January 26, 1725 in Wsechswjatskoje in Moscow) was a Georgian prince, monk, diplomat and writer. He tried to connect with Georgia, Western Europe, enforce Catholicism in Georgia and founded the neugeorgische literary language.
Life
Sulkhan Orbeliani came from a Georgian princely family. His father was a brother of the Queen of Kartli and royal judges. King Vakhtang V. was his uncle. In the Georgian royal house Orbeliani learned the then best education in writing, language, history and geography. His tutor was the future King Giorgi XI. The Prince Archil and Levan said to have been Orbelianis best friends.
In his first marriage Sulkhan Orbeliani was married to the late 1683 Daredschan from the Bagratides dynasty, to his second wife Tamara, a daughter of Prince Athabag from the province of Samtskhe südgeorgischen.
On March 18, 1689 he became a monk in the Georgian Orthodox monastery Dawit - Gareja and took the name Saba. He remained there until 1713, wrote pamphlets for the renewal of the Christian faith. Between 1687 and 1709, the exact date is disputed, he converted together with King Giorgi XI. and his brother Levan to the Catholic Church. First, he practiced his faith secret, in the narrow circle of intimates. In 1709 he publicly came in a letter to Pope Clement XI. to the Catholic faith.
1703 Orbeliani was an advisor to the king Vakhtang VI kart metallic. With diplomatic status equipped, he tried to impose Catholicism in Georgia. He made contact with the Franciscans in eastern Georgia. 1709 founded the King with Franciscan support Georgia's first printing.
Between 1713 and 1716 he attended on behalf of the Georgian king, Pope Clement XI. in Rome and the French King Louis XIV at Versailles. Orbeliani asked the French king for support to Georgia and Transcaucasia rid of Persian occupation. Georgia wanted this to be an ally and trading partner of France, as well as promote the Catholic Church in Georgia. The mission was supported by the Georgian Orthodox Patriarch Grigol II, who was willing to tolerate Catholic missionaries in the country. Louis XIV promised to diplomatically to try to Georgia and to support the missionary Transcaucasia financially. The project was, however, IV never implemented because of the death of Louis.
After returning home to Georgia Orbeliani was boycotted by the Georgian nobility. By a change of generations in the Georgian royal family and the Georgian Orthodox Church of the Apostles, he lost his political status and the support of the clergy. The new Orthodox Patriarch Domenti regarded him as a traitor. 1719 demanded an Orthodox church meeting, he must renounce the heresy. Orbeliani refused das. Punished he was not, but was now finally isolated.
In 1722 he was of King Vakhtang VI. again asked for diplomatic negotiations. He was Pope Innocent XIII. and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. gain as an ally against Persia and the Ottoman Empire. After the occupation of Georgia by the Turks in 1724 Orbeliani went, King Vakhtang and the Georgian royal court into exile in Saint Petersburg.
Services
In his rain literary activity, he became the linguistic and stylistic innovator of Georgian literature and founder of neugeorgischen literary language. He wrote the first explanatory dictionary for Georgian language with detailed explanations about astronomy, logic and psychology, used for approaches from etymology and history of science. Orbeliani edited in 1710 and 1711 a large part of the Georgian Bible. The previously handwritten traditional translations of parts of the Georgian Bible were then first printed as a single book. From the first printed Bible of Georgia today a copy is only preserved.
In his birthplace Tandsia the dedicated to him Sulkhan Saba Museum.
Works
- Lexikoni Kartuli. With introduction and commentary edited by I. Abuladze. 2 vols. Merani, Tbilisi 1991/1993 (Georgian )
- Wisdom of fiction. Ganatleba -Verlag, Tbilisi, 1984 ( German )
- Works. 5 volumes. Tbilisi 1959/1966 (Georgian )